Student financial advice please.

mrs_lds

Our son left home at 18 to volunteer abroad for 2 years. He has financed this all himself and will be hime At 20 years old to start a five year masters. Regarding student finance is it true there maybe a loophole whereby he might be exempt from paying tuition fees as ge has been independant for over two years or is someone havinf a laugh? Any advice appreciated

Taiko

No truth whatsoever. In actual fact, he could well be ineligible for any finance, depending on where he was.

scattersong

Definitely not exempt I would have thought.

Maybe you're thinking of his status as an 'independent student'.
That would mean that the loan/grant would be based off his income and not his parents. (so in effect he'd probably be able to borrow more money)

According to SFE:

Independent students

If you're an independent student your income and your partner's income is assessed.
You're classed as an independent student if:

• you're 25 or older
• you have a child
• you have no living parents
• you are or have been married or in a civil partnership
• you've supported yourself for three years
• you're estranged from your parents

However to be eligible:

Your nationality or residency status

You can apply if:

• you’re a UK national or have ‘settled status’ (no restrictions on how long you can stay)
• you normally live in England
• you’ve been living in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for 3 years before starting your course

Take a look here for more info..... https://www.gov.uk/student-finance/overview

Probably best to ring them up and speak to someone though.