Student loan and further education, help please..

lea3po

Hi all, I'm a newbie here and just looking for a bit of advice. I never completed any further education after my GCSEs, long story short I have been accepted onto an Access to HE course beginning in September this year, I am currently 23 and will be on the course start date however I also have a child. I have been looking into the possibility of getting a student loan and it seems that I am not eligible to apply for one because I am not 24 on the course start date, I am a parent and trying to think how I am otherwise going to fund my living costs etc while on the course is making it currently seem like I won't actually be able to do so without crippling myself financially. I am 24 just over a week after the course begins, does this mean I could apply for the 24+ loan as I am 24 in the year of the course? Thanks in advance and sorry for the lengthy post!

Lokolo

No you cannot

https://www.gov.uk/advanced-learning-loans/eligibility

You must be 24 or older on the first day of your course.

You do also not get any help for living costs (apart from usual benefits), the loan is only for course fees.

Indie_Kid

Are you on any benefits? There might be reduced fees for those who are.

lea3po

I'm not on benefits but I get my course for free as its my first level 3 qualification and I will be 23 on the course start date. It's more the living costs that concern me, which is what I would be applying for the loan for however if I can't apply for one I don't see me being able to do my course as it would be impossible for me to raise my son on no income.

Lokolo

Can you link us to the course you want to do?

The HE loan isn't for living costs anyway.

Is the course available part time?

lea3po

No, its a full time course, its an access to higher education course. I thought part of the loan was for living costs, the maintenance loan and grant and also parental learning grant. The site won't allow me to post a link to the course due to me being new, its with Leeds city college, the course is access to higher education diploma : health, public services and care. (will be titled health science in September I think)

Lokolo

http://www.leedscitycollege.ac.uk/courses/fe_course.php?course_id=46

This is the course.

As I understand it, Level 3 courses do not quality for student finance (maintenance loan, grant etc.), these are college level courses. Once you've done this course and go on to do a diploma or a degree, then you are entitled to student finance.

If I were you I would consider looking at The OU. There are a couple of courses which you could look at and you then have flexibility to do them distance learning, and a few modules at a time (therefore doing partime).

There are only a few Health and Social type courses, of which the lower level ones require you to be working in that area already

Certificate of Higher Education in Healthcare Practice (requires 2 days work)
http://www3.open.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/qualification/t01.htm

Diploma of Higher Education in Healthcare Practice (requires 2 days work)
http://www3.open.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/qualification/w16.htm

BA/BSc (Honours) Health and Social Care
http://www3.open.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/qualification/q18.htm

The course information comes out tomorrow/Thursday, so have a look then. It will explain the modules you need to take, and you can take them part time, maybe 2 at a time in evenings and distance learning.

The other Health and Social courses can be seen here

http://www3.open.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/qualification/health-and-social-care/index.htm

dibdabable

At 23 it's right you couldn't get the 24+ loan. You can't get a Student Loan for the Access courses. There's another option which is the Professional and Career Development Loan see below. It would be a shame not to further your studies. As you say you'll be able to have the Tuition free so the loan could be for living travel etc, so you have to do a good plan of how much you'll need. Is yout course for a year? What about childcare?

https://www.gov.uk/career-development-loans/eligibility

Hope this helps.