Student Finance - Getting my step-dad to sign off that he won't support me?

Jlawson118

So my mum and dad have been divorced and separated since I was age 4/5 (I'm 20 now) and I haven't been in touch with my dad for around 3 years now. Although for nearly four years, she has been seeing her partner (Who I do call my step dad)

They're not married, but he has been living with us for the last four years. And he's a good guy and has supported me the best he can over the years.

However, I started my first year of university last year (2015) and due to him losing his job a few years ago, his finances have been a little messy and he's not sure himself where he's at with those. My mum works part time and so she's on a pretty low wage but we do manage. Although when applying for student finance, they require the income details of both parties living in the same household as you.

My mum filled in her part, but my step dad was unable to fill in his, and Student Finance gave me the absolute bare minimum because of this. I did manage to cope for the first year apart from I think I borrowed money from my family and my savings at one point, I also was given a bursary for good grades from my university which I could borrow from.

Although this year is becoming tricky on the minimum loan. I've literally used up all of what they gave me this semester just on equipment for university. I do start a part time job in a few weeks, and I don't get a bursary this year from university, so I'm really short of cash at the moment.

Although I heard back before I even started university that if your parent's partner writes to student finance refusing to support your application, then they just review your main parent's and go from there.

I saw this on a forum once as well as a friend told me to do that, but I never did it. So I phoned up Student Finance a few weeks ago when I realised I was low, and the man there told me I get the minimum because of my step-dad's lack of information, but he told me to do the same about the letter. So I sent that off on Monday and I am awaiting a response.

I'm just wondering if anybody has done this before and what the result was? Because if they go from just my mum's wage, I'm in for a lot of student finance..but it seems too good to be true..

The_Jakal

I've never heard of this before. I was always of the assumption that because your step dad is contributing towards household costs that he is indirectly helping you out if that makes sense. For that reason I thought they'd always take into account a step parent's income if they were living under the same roof as your parent.

Taiko

Not true in the slightest. You'll get the bare minimum.

I wouldn't consider misrepresenting the living arrangements either if it came to that.

Jlawson118

Taiko wrote: »

Not true in the slightest. You'll get the bare minimum.

I wouldn't consider misrepresenting the living arrangements either if it came to that.

Why would the guy at Student Finance on the phone recommend this though?

Ed-1

Jlawson118 wrote: »

Why would the guy at Student Finance on the phone recommend this though?

The customer service personnel aren't trained in applying the student support regulations.

The assessors are the ones that award the support and consider the necessary evidence. SLC can only award support if the customer is eligible according to the student support regulations set by Government.

The current student support regulations are The Education (Student Support) Regulations 2011 as amended; for example by the Education (Student Support) (Amendment) Regulations 2016

Schedule 4 regulation 1(j) defines:

“partner” in relation to the parent of an eligible student means any of the following other than another parent of the eligible student—
(i) the spouse of an eligible student’s parent;
(ii) the civil partner of an eligible student’s parent;
(iii) a person ordinarily living with the parent of an eligible student as if the person were the parent’s spouse;
(iv) a person ordinarily living with the parent of an eligible student as if the person were the parent’s civil partner;

Paragraph (2) of regulation 3 of Schedule 4 states

(2) The household income is—
(a) in the case of an eligible student who is not an independent eligible student, the residual income of the eligible student aggregated with the residual income of the eligible student’s parents (subject to paragraph 5 (9)) and—
(i) in the case of a new eligible student who began the specified designated course before 1st September 2005, the residual income of the partner (other than a partner within the meaning of paragraph 1(j)(iv)) of the student’s parent (provided that the Secretary of State has selected that parent under paragraph 5(9); or
(ii) in the case of a new eligible student who began the specified designated course on or after 1st September 2005, the residual income of the partner of the student’s parent (provided that the Secretary of State has selected that parent under paragraph 5(9));

Regulation 5(9) deals with "Where one of the eligible student’s parents dies..."