New Student Maintenance Loan Too Low!

sandyacreuk

Hi,
Could anyone offer any advice?
As Parents we are supporting my Sons application to his first year at University. He will be living away outside of London.
The offer has now come through. Tuition Fee loan is fine, but the Maintenance Loan is far too low at just over £3000. This will not even cover his rent at the Campus.
The award is based on the fact our total household income for yr 15/16 is relatively high. However, this is far from a true reflection of our ability to afford contributing to his education. Due to unfortunate events, we are currently repaying debt via a DMP and virtually all of our disposable income is prioritised to clearing this. To speed things up, I have worked hard to significantly increase my income. However, this is having an adverse affect on how Student Finance England 'means test' for the awarded amount. Household income is absolutely NOT a measure of affordability. They don't get this at all and just refer back to the simplistic and distorted way the 'calculator' works.


According to an article on this site, the maintenance award should be up to 65% of the maximum regardless of income. If so, this isn't correct either!.


I'm stuck - any advice?

BorisThomson

Are you sure that's not per term? Have you run your figures through the student finance calculator?

sandyacreuk

I believe it's the award for the year. Yes, I pre-empted this a few months back as the calculator suggested it will be the minimal amount and that's what has been offered. I fully appreciate the element that higher earners should contribute to the shortfall, but I have an exceptional situation that means I cannot help fund this. There doesn't appear of anyway to get SFE to understand this dilemma. The irony is that if we had a very low income, the award could increase to £8430.

Lokolo

It is based on affordability, they have to draw the line somewhere. Just because you are on a DMP doesn't mean your son should be entitled to more money because you got yourself into the situation. If you had 4+ kids to buy food for, should your son also get additional help on a high income because you have more kids to feed? If you purchased a large house and have a large mortgage, should your son get more money because you have larger bills?



My advice? He gets a job. What has he been doing over summer? During my summer in 1st year I managed to get a few £k, plus a part time job during term time.

sandyacreuk

Didn't take long for someone to drop the "you got yourself into that situation" comment. For the record, I nearly got killed in a car accident that sent my whole world spiralling out of control. So no I didn't get Myself into this, someone put me here! And, it's taken Me months of hard work to claw back what some idiot took away from me, including repaying debt because I have a moral conscious to do so. Please don't judge before you know the facts.

SeduLOUs

:mad:I think I deleted my message!

The line needs to be drawn somewhere. Regardless of whether the DMP was down to your own doing, or completely out of your control you are unfortunately on the wrong side of the line. If it were based on disposable income instead of earnings you'd have high income families claiming an inability to afford university because of high mortgages and cars on finance etc.

For what it's worth I agree that loans aren't big enough (so does Martin Lewis), and it's completely unfair that an adult going to university is assessed based on his parent's income, regardless of whether they are able or willing to contribute.

But that's how it is for now. If he needs more money he will need to get a job, or you will need to make adjustments or earn more to help him if you can.

Loanranger

He needs to get a job. His university will very likely have an office that deals with student temporary work.
A part time job will also give him skills which he can add to his CV when he looks for a graduate job.
Contact the Careers Service at his university, they will know how to help him find a temp part time job.

Lokolo

sandyacreuk wrote: »

Didn't take long for someone to drop the "you got yourself into that situation" comment. For the record, I nearly got killed in a car accident that sent my whole world spiralling out of control. So no I didn't get Myself into this, someone put me here! And, it's taken Me months of hard work to claw back what some idiot took away from me, including repaying debt because I have a moral conscious to do so. Please don't judge before you know the facts.

Then ignore the first section of my post and respond to my second. I frankly don't care what circumstances are. The facts are you - you earn X, this is over the limit of additional maintenance loan. How you got there doesn't matter. As SeduLOUs points out, the line has to be drawn somewhere. Don't like my comment, then ignore it. Sorry if it sounds harsh but this isn't a topic where sympathy is going to help your (or your sons) financial situation.

You said you've known this will likely be the case for months (that the loan amount will be a lot lower), and you're trying to figure out what to do now? What has your son being doing over summer?

I have already suggested ideas of a part time job during term time.

sandyacreuk

Well I didn't like your comment and I certainly will not ignore it, as I wish to defend my position. You implied I put Myself in debt, where as someone took my livelihood away for a period of time and put me in debt. That's what annoys me! I hope you don't suffer the similar unfortunate event because frankly I do care.

iolanthe07

sandyacreuk wrote: »

Well I didn't like your comment and I certainly will not ignore it, as I wish to defend my position. You implied I put Myself in debt, where as someone took my livelihood away for a period of time and put me in debt. That's what annoys me! I hope you don't suffer the similar unfortunate event because frankly I do care.

You're missing the point. !!!! happens, and you have had it piled on you in spades, but you have to face circumstances as they are. Your son will have to take on part time work of some sort to fund his maintenance. It is what students do unless they are very lucky.

Puddylove

Ignoring the history here, your immediate problem is that your son hadn't got enough funds.
I offer these suggestions;
1. Can your son swap to a Uni close to you, so that he can stay at home and reduce costs?
2. Is there any other alternative - at the OU he could study PT while working, for example?
3. Can he reduce his costs by being a property guardian, a student warden, living with friends/relatives close to his uni?
4. Can he get a job now, and in term time?
5. Has he contacted the uni to see if there are any funds available?
6. Has he gone through the Directory of Grant Making Trusts (I think that's the name - ask at your library) to see if there's anything he can apply for?
On the plus side, the less he borrows, the less debt he'll have at the end.