DRO and university

vensell25

Hello,


My (ex) partner has recently left me a single mum with 2 young children (and a lot of debt!). I have been advised by step change that my best option is to take out a DRO.
I am currently at college, and should be starting university in September. I also currently get housing benefit, child tax credits and income support.
Can anyone tell me what will happen during the 1 year period if I was to take out the maintenance loan? I'm pretty sure the tuition fee loan doesn't count as I wont actually see any of the money - but I will need the maintenance loan to pay for travel and childcare at a minimum (assuming I can find enough information to get by on the internet for the fist year!), however this would take me over the £50 limit for excess income I think and now I'm so confused I don't know what to do!
Also, what would happen to my benefits? Im worried they'll lower my housing benefit or something and I wont be able to afford my rent

Can anyone help with what they might consider when it comes to the maintenance loan as expenditure? I'm not sure if they would count other things I would need to purchase for university like books etc I tried to e-mail them and just got a re-iteration of what was on the website, so was no help at all


Thanks in advance!

missbiggles1

Don't forget that your IS and other means tested benefits will be assessed on your maintenance loan.

wba31

Your maintenance loan is your income for 12 months, so if you got £6000 for example, it would be budgeted as £500 a month for example

National_Debtline

Hi vensell25


In principle, any maintenance loan would be calculated to cover what you were deemed to need for your study costs and essential living expenses, nothing more. I would be surprised if such a loan had the effect of bumping your disposable income over the DRO threshold.


What I would advise you do is to sit down and work out now what term-time expenses you will have, so you can work out where that loan will go. That would include items like books and other study material deemed essential for your course.


Dennis
@natdebtline

caltay78

Hi im in my first year of uni with 3 children under 17 and a single parent . i got the maintenance loan of £5999 and grants,you also get childcare paid for and dont have pay that bit back , the local council take this maintanace loan as income but they divide it by 42 weeks and not 12 months as someone above put as you are not at uni every day of the year they do let £300 off for book and travel out of this and therefore housing benefit is reduced and you lose income support as well.i only get £80 towards my rent a month now housing benefit now and have to pay the other £360 out of my loan. but from sep 2016 uni intakes, the maintenance loan will be £8999 as they are removing grants so it show as more income so less housing benefit ;( which is unfair as its a loan and has to be paid back but they government still says this is income !!!!!

you can survive on it but dont get hardly anything left each week. but when it comes to summer holidays you dont get anything so have go and apply for income support and full housing benefit for those 6 weeks .