Need advice on student loans 17 May 2019 at 10:11AM in Student MoneySaving 5 replies 1.4K views

knelson

Hi there. So I've been referred to this website by the Scholarship Hub because I'm in search of any help or advice thats available. My situation is thus: I am an 18 year old who has been offered a place in 4 of my 5 choices so far (undergraduate). I made an application for student finance which has been rejected due to my not having lived in the UK for the past three years consecutively. I am a British national, UK passport holder and have been resident in the UK for 1.5 years. As a child I moved to the Middle East with my father as he took a temporary work position there but with option to renew his contract, which he did for 7 years. As a result Student Finance concluded this did not display an intent to return to the UK and thus my application was denied. As a result I was deemed an overseas student and my first choice university has informed me that I must pay international fees of £13,750 annually, with no access to any bursaries or grants due to the residency rule. At time of writing I have made an application to Future Finance, a private student loan company, and they have made me an offer of £7,000 which is of course well below what I require, but this is the maximum they are prepared to offer. I have been warned by friends and family of the dangers of private loan companies but I am desperate to go to university and am currently attempting to crowdfund the fees without success. If I am unsuccessful I may have to wait until 2021 to enter university which, considering the unfairness of my situation, I will not accept until I have exhausted every possible avenue. Does anyone have any advice for me?

agrinnall

Get your father to pay the fees as your situation is due to his decison to live abroad. Failing that, as you have said,wait until you qualify as a home student.

[Deleted User]

How is it unfair? I wouldn't be given loans in any other country I didn't live in.
Second your dad paying. After all those years working in the Middle East he should have enough savings

girllikeme1

What about seeking a degree apprenticeship?

JayRitchie

Why not wait a year or so? Borrowing from future finance is ridiculous.

sheramber

I am a British national, UK passport holder and have been resident in the UK for 1.5 years

So you haven't been resident for 3 years which is a requirement for student finance.

this did not display an intent to return to the UK and thus my application was denied.

This is to ensure you are not coming to UK purely to go university.