Nacktschnecken omlet Cube

[abwsco]

Is anyone else doing the applications for those starting in September? I've downloaded and printed off all forms today and I can't believe how much there is. Talk about a paper mountain! Oh, and DD reckons I should fill it all in.

[ChrisP]

Depending on family income, you, as a parent, might not need to fill anything in.

I didn't apply for extra funding, only the just over three grand for tuition and just over 3 grand for maintenance. Because I wouldn't have got any more based on parents income, they didn't need to fill anything out. Also, you can do it all online, I did

[Lewis]

Nope

 

... I think I should be but haven't really read up about it yet. School haven't mentioned anything about it yet and they normally nag us when things like this have to be in. Will have a look though

[ChrisP]

Don't worry Lewis. I didn't sort mine til November last year, and I started uni in September! TBH as long as you sort it before the summer, and are willing tot ake the risk that your loans might be delayed in September if theres lots of applications to process, you'll be ok. Just save some money up for the start of term just in case!

[Lewis]

Don't worry Lewis. I didn't sort mine til November last year, and I started uni in September! TBH as long as you sort it before the summer, and are willing tot ake the risk that your loans might be delayed in September if theres lots of applications to process, you'll be ok. Just save some money up for the start of term just in case!

I have quite a bit because all the money I earned at the farm is in a separate account which was always intended for Uni, and then other savings too

[abwsco]

Lewis, if you're going in September they say you need to do it a.s.a.p. Chris, I think I'm having a thick moment as I can't work out if it's better or not for us to give details of our income

[ChrisP]

I'm not sure. The way I did mine was...

 

1. I filled in the student online application

 

2. Then there was a bit for parents to "support an application" and give details about their incomes etc

But I was unorganised and didn't bother with this, because I knew I wouldn't get any extra money because of what both my parents earn

So neither parent filled out a support an application thing

 

I think it depends whether or not your DD would be likely to get any extra funding based on the household income. It won't do any harm to fill in parent details too, and may do some good (I'm just unorganised!!)

 

But if you've got the paper forms, make your DD fill her section out, and you fill a section out, that way, no-one misses out

 

I realise I probably don't make ANY sense, sorry!

[abwsco]

Thanks Chris and it does make sense Think we will do it online but now I've printed everything off I can fill that in first as a practice run iykwim

[miffy]

Ha!!!

you may think its a lot of paperwork to apply.....wait till you start getting letters from them....we had everything in triplicate, sent seperatly to my YS OH and me all to the same address!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[abwsco]

Ha!!!

you may think its a lot of paperwork to apply.....wait till you start getting letters from them....we had everything in triplicate, sent seperatly to my YS OH and me all to the same address!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

OMG noooooooo. DD has already had triplicate of her first offer and we thought that was bad enough!

[ChrisP]

I never got any accepting offer letters, only info on UCAS track I feel left out now

[Lewis]

I never got any accepting offer letters, only info on UCAS track I feel left out now

Did you not?

Aber have sent me 2 packs with all their brochures + leaflets in, a letter and some forms to fill in

The other 2 have sent letters then updated Track a few days after

[laurmurf]

i wouldn't discount filling in the extra paperwork about parental income: we didn't think we'd get anything for Shonagh and she got an extra £400+ and that's a GRANT not a loan so it's free money for a few extra bits of form filling.

 

tbh it was a bit of a chore, adn we did all the filling in, not her because we wanted to make sure the income info was correct. We also wanted to make sure it would be done!

 

We completed forms in April for a September start and i'm glad we did as there were HUGE delays in scanning documentation and getting decisions made. So although we filled the forms in in April, the docs weren't scanned until June and a decision made in Aug for a Sept start. Nailbiting. It also meant that Shonagh got her money through on time whereas her friends who left it late relied on their parents to bail them out for accommodation, tuition fees and extras.

 

we're about to head into round 2 - 2nd year...... aaaarghhhhh

[Cinnamon]

Can I ask a couple of questions?

 

My eldest will be going to uni next year,so I am already thinking about all this stuff. TBH, my belly does a flip whenever I think about it all, as it all seems so complicated.

 

So, do they get a loan for the Uni fees, & for their accommodation?

What about normal living expenses,& are the loans of a fixed amount or do they vary depending on which Uni you go to?

Do you have to apply again for the second & third years?

 

And are they means tested? My husband is self employed,so its generally more complicated for us It certainly was for EMA & for Tax credits......

 

All help gratefully received

[laurmurf]

well Cinnamon, it's like this: university will cost you and them a fortune and the loans will make a little dent in that fortune!

 

They get two loans: a tuition fees loan and a maintenance loan. The tuition fees loan is currently capped at £3200+ which is the current maximum universities are allowed to charge for tuition fees....although watch out for next year, a lift at least in this and a possible lifting of the cap, which will be bad news for everybody. This loan is paid directly to the university so you don't ever see the money, you just see the debt at the end of the degree.

 

the maintenance fees loan covers accommodation, food, extras... except it doesn't really. They will all cost more than the loan covers as this loan is capped too (it is related to parental income). That's why your child will also need the student account with the biggest possible interest-free overdraft going - as she will need that too for non-essentials like eating. This loan is paid directly into their student account in 3 installments.

 

If you fill in lots of extra forms and can show parental income below a certain amount then you will also get a maintenance grant that - hooray - doesn't need to be paid back..... BUT the amount of maintenance loan you are allowed to take out will be reduced by the amount of the grant that you receive. So same amount of cash in hand: which is STILL less than you need to pay for everything.

 

Then there are fun things like when you book/confirm accommodation at chosen university they will require a deposit from mummy and daddy to hold the booking BEFORE the maintenance loan comes through. In some cases this is about £100. In our case it was £637 - a bit surprising as I wasn't expecting to have to pay out ANYTHING. Yes, we could have deducted the £600 from her first maintenance loan to pay us back but then she wouldn't have been able to pay for her rent until the next installment of her loan came through. (the loan is paid in 3 installments, amusing since the last installment goes through when they have very nearly finished that year's study so it sits in their account without much coming out of it so they think they're rich and they spend it...then are surprised that there isn't enough in the account to pay for the following year's accommodation deposit. And so it goes on....

 

We're supposedly lucky: the Lurker is on a degree course where her fees are being paid for her by the NHS (so she won't graduate with that particular debt) and she should be earning so, in theory, doesn't need a high maintenance loan. Except she hasn't been paid yet and has already had to live out of our account and her overdraft, having run out of maintenance loan....

 

can you tell i write with bitter experience?

i wouldn't change it for the world for her but we are a much poorer family for it (and i have 3 more to go.... )

[laurmurf]

Do you have to apply again for the second & third years?

 

And are they means tested? My husband is self employed,so its generally more complicated for us It certainly was for EMA & for Tax credits......

 

All help gratefully received

 

I meant to say that yes, you have to go through this every year and the grant part is means tested and to receive the maximum amount of loan there is a parental income check.

 

For Sept 2009 entry we had to provide evidence of 2007 income for some reason, i'm expecting to have to show 2008 for this september's loans.

 

Good luck and do come on here to let off steam, you will get my undying sympathy!

[abwsco]

Sarah, check out Direct Gov now and you can look at all the forms needed. To be honest, I don't think it looks too complicated but we need to provide proof of private pensions made from the DWP for y/e 5/4/09 and I'm sure we have nver had those so I can see that being a pain to get.

 

Luckily for us DD has decided to go to the local Uni so she can live at home and also still keep her part time job.

[Old Speckled Hen]

I scrimped,saved,went without and worked all hours to get my one and only through Uni without her having to get a loan of any kind(This is before tuition fees). I wanted her to have a good start unencumbered by huge debt. Having got her degree she worked for a year then gained a place at The Drama Studio London to do a year long course. You'd think she'd be eligible for some help then, as I was by then retired and not able to help. But Oh no

Now I wish she'd got her maintenance loan, banked it and used it for her Drama. It did cross my mind then but I thought it was dishonest

Sorry, didn't mean to hijack your thread Cinnamon

[Cinnamon]

Its not my thread

 

Its a year before I need to think about this seriously,but thanks for all your advice.

I have stored it away for now,but I am sure I will be back next January to ask more questions.

 

Just worked out too that if the eldest does more than a 2 year course,we will potentially have the pair of them at Uni for a year

 

I will look into her local place to (Reading), which might be an option if she lives at home still,but I do think she needs to spread her wings a bit.....

 

She is also thinking about working full time in a year off to make some money to put herself through Uni a year late

[Nutmeg]

This is a question about the tution fees. Does anyone know what the rate of interest charged on tuition fees is? I cannot see it anywhere on the DirectGov website. It states that tuition fees do not need to be paid back until you are earning £15,000, but I assume interest is charged from the start of the course until you are earning?

 

Any info greatly appreciated.

[abwsco]

Nutmeg, does THIS help at all.

[Nutmeg]

Thank you for the link, I didn't see that section when I was looking.

 

My goodness, its complicated, I am tempted to pay the tuition fees outright as this is the only fee I can claim for and I dont relish the thought of having to work out my repayments being self-employed.

 

As you can probably tell, my degree is not going to be in Mathematics!