Help with Student Loan and Rent Scotland

suburbanwifey

scotsl wrote: »

As far as I am aware I am looking at around £6000 per term. Of course that is before they take into my income from work.

Lot of debt but if I want a better future seems like no choice but to take it

Gosh, that is a lot, I wouldn't feel happy about that either. I live in Scotland and Uni education is free, so I am assuming that this fee is for a maintenance grant? (I'm a Uni student by the way)

alyth

I read this last night and I am still a little confused by this - I'm also a uni student in Scotland. I thought SAAS funding was only applicable for degree courses, not for HNC/D although if your degree course is listed as HNC/HND/Diploma/BA then I can see why you can apply for funding.

My SAAS funding for the year is a loan of £5000 - you may also be able to apply for the Independent Learner's Grant which is £1000 and you don't have to pay back, but I have a vague memory that that is only available for those without dependents - hence the name.

On the plus side you won't have to pay off the loan until you earn £21K or more.

We can't comment on anything other than what you have posted, but students do have to take out loans to pay for living costs, it's not the state's job to look after you even if you want to educate yourself to enhance your employability. Perhaps your partner could get an evening or weekend job to supplement your income?

Dunroamin

scotsl wrote: »

As far as I am aware I am looking at around £6000 per term. Of course that is before they take into my income from work.

Lot of debt but if I want a better future seems like no choice but to take it

£6,000 is the maintenance loan for the year, not the term! Count your blessings that you're not in England or you'd have to borrow £9k per year for the fees as well.

scotsl

Not sure what the term "maintenance loan" is about.
Met with Student Finance Rep before finished my NC course who said that we had to apply to SAAS for funding the HN course.
I decided to apply only for tuition fees only at that time.
Home situation is we have 3 kids under 5(girl at 4 and twin boys at 3), I work 20 hours a week usually from early afternoon till 7-9pm so my wife probably would find it difficult to gain p/t employment and then there is the uncertaintity of what my college hours are going to be. My work has been quite flexible with me. Whos to say her employers would be?
As for taking out a loan for living costs- then I think you can see I work to cover my living costs, doesnt earn much but it covers our basic needs.

Dunroamin

scotsl wrote: »

Not sure what the term "maintenance loan" is about.
Met with Student Finance Rep before finished my NC course who said that we had to apply to SAAS for funding the HN course.
I decided to apply only for tuition fees only at that time.
Home situation is we have 3 kids under 5(girl at 4 and twin boys at 3), I work 20 hours a week usually from early afternoon till 7-9pm so my wife probably would find it difficult to gain p/t employment and then there is the uncertaintity of what my college hours are going to be. My work has been quite flexible with me. Whos to say her employers would be?
As for taking out a loan for living costs- then I think you can see I work to cover my living costs, doesnt earn much but it covers our basic needs.

The "maintenance loan" is what we're discussing, it's the £6,000 pa that you borrow to cover living costs. Scottish students do not pay fees so I don't know where a fee loan comes into it for you.

As rent is one of the most basic living costs, you can't really say that your earnings cover this as you claim HB/LHA to pay for it.

I think that you might benefit from a look around the SAAS website as you seem very confused about the whole system.http://www.saas.gov.uk/

Also, had you considered studying part time with the OU?
http://www.open.ac.uk/

Peanuckle

My son and daughter are both half way through two year, different, courses for HNDs. SAAS do pay the fees for the course (they are lower for residents of Scotland but do exist, the letter in front of me listed the fees paid last year to the college for my daughter as £1285) and both have had to take the full loans as they need them to pay living costs. I agree it would be much easier, and cheaper, for them just to get the bare minimum but without a massively high paying part time job it just isn't an option.
Remember that student loans are what Mr Lewis would call a "good debt" as in they don't even attempt to get repayments until you're earning a decent wage and even then the repayments go directly out of your wage at a reasonable level. If the loan isn't paid back in a set time frame then it's wiped out.

Oh and a full time HND course, at least in Aberdeen, is 2 1/2 days a week so that leaves plenty of time for studying and a part time job. Even though my son has Asperger's he works part time as a waiter and my daughter copes with the pain from fibromyalgia whilst managing to work at a fast food restaurant. Neither of their jobs are something they'd want to do after college but it gives them a little extra cash to make student life easier and the college hours mean they have plenty of time to do this and study.

scotsl

As mentioned by Peaknuckle, then full time college courses are around 2 1/2 days a week and as mentioned by me previously I work around those days.
I understand the loan is "good" but its the principal of having to take a loan that I dont want because if I dont then I get penalised for declining extra income.
As you also mentioned SAAS do pay tuition fees and as far as I remember a lecturer told me this is what goes towards his wages

Peanuckle

scotsl wrote: »

I understand the loan is "good" but its the principal of having to take a loan that I dont want because if I dont then I get penalised for declining extra income.

Try seeing it from the opposing angle, if it was possible for you to refuse the loan you would then be claiming housing/council tax benefit? So the government/local council would be paying your rent and council tax for you, correct?

Can you not see the moral implications for this? It comes under the same sort of legislation as someone on income support refusing an inheritance because it'd mean their benefit would stop. You can choose not to take the loan but as you said, it'll make things a lot harder financially but it's your choice to continue education and it isn't free to do so, for anyone. As you said though, your intention is to qualify so you can earn more money and repay the benefits you've received, the only difference with having a loan is you're actually repaying your own debt and not just putting money in the national insurance pot.

scotsl

Peanuckle wrote: »

but it's your choice to continue education and it isn't free to do so, for anyone.

Here was me thinking that education is free in Scotland to those who have been born and bred here. Well learned something today

Dunroamin

scotsl wrote: »

Here was me thinking that education is free in Scotland to those who have been born and bred here. Well learned something today

It is free - you don't pay any fees!

How much more free do you want it, or do you think they should pay you?