more money after loan

magicalbeef

well...ive had my student loan, and my fees paid for, but i picked non financially assessed, but i think ive applied wrong, as i dont actually have an income! is there any way i can apply for a grant or anyhting, as money is running out fast!

alliecat101

Have you been to see your student union? They should have plenty of experience dealing with students with money worries. I think that most universities have a student hardship fund for students in desperate straits - possiblely the access to learning fund. I know that at my uni you can also get financial help/advice from student support services. It may be worth contacting your LEA to find out whether you can be reassessed. Hope this helps.

roxalana

magicalbeef wrote: »

well...ive had my student loan, and my fees paid for, but i picked non financially assessed, but i think ive applied wrong, as i dont actually have an income! is there any way i can apply for a grant or anyhting, as money is running out fast!

You need to ring your local authority who gave you the non means tested funding and ask if you can be means tested. They will advise you on what bits of the form you (and perhaps other people) will need to complete - they will be able to advise according to your situation.

Bear in mind though you may not be means tested straight away once you provide the relevant information and evidence and that there is a possibility you may not qualify for means tested support.

You may therefore want to also want to go to your Universities student support/ student welfare office to ask for advice and perhaps consider a part time job or xmas work?

magicalbeef

ive looked all over for a job and there is nothing i can fit around uni im kind of in a wierd situation tho, as i live in a flat owned by my parents, i have no income, but if i am assesed on my parents income my father is in africa and my mom is in america so i would ahve no way of getting hold of this information

rainbowtrout

If you are not in contact with/receiving money from your parents can you declare yourself as an independent student?

If you can't get income details from your parents you might have to contact your local LEA to check if they have procedures to deal with this. It's not a part of the standard form.

I think to qualify for hardship funding in most unis you have to prove you can't obtain it from other sources, i.e. income assessed to show that you already have the maximum amount of loan possible from government sources. I don't think they will hand out the money to someone who has not been income assessed at all unless you explain the situation, so get on the phone.

mobbonkhouse

A student is considered to be independent if they fall into one or more of these catagories:

Over 25
Self-supporting for 3 years previous
Have a child
Married
No parents living
Estranged from parents

I would speak to the LEA and explain the circumstances. If you are not legally estranged but don't have any contact with them, the LEA will ask for evidence, usually in the form of a letter from a trustworthy source such as a doctor, social worker etc

roxalana

magicalbeef wrote: »

ive looked all over for a job and there is nothing i can fit around uni im kind of in a wierd situation tho, as i live in a flat owned by my parents, i have no income, but if i am assesed on my parents income my father is in africa and my mom is in america so i would ahve no way of getting hold of this information

There are some things you can do when you have time. I did psychology experiments in between lectures and signed up to do police line ups!

Also a lot of my friends tended to just do agency work in the holidays to supplement their student finance. I just worked every sunday and then during the hols.

You say your Dad is in Africa and your Mom is in the US, have your parents separated then?

If they have as long as they can prove their separation/single status your entitlement is only assessed on one of your parents. This should be the parent you have most contact with. As you don't live with either of them (so do not automatically have more contact with one of them) then a smart move would be to choose the parent that earns the least. Once you choose which parent will be your sponsor you can't change it, so choose wisely! Bear in mind that if the parent you choose lives with a partner or spouse the partners income details are also needed.

You say you can't get hold of the information, can't they post it?

They can download a PFF1 form from http://www.studentfinancedirect.co.uk/portal/page?_pageid=53,1261699&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL

complete it, then post it to your LEA along with the appropriate documents as evidence? In future years your parent will be able to go online to complete their details but as you have received your non means tested support they will now need to provide their details on paper.