Student and Universal Credit Woes

[Kefte123]

I'm currently a full-time university student and a single mum with two children. I ended up splitting up with my partner of over a decade, partly because he didn't want to move closer to university with us.

So I found my own house to rent and I sorted my student finance and applied for universal credit. I thought I'd be okay, because I had someone do an assessment of my entitlements from a charity prior to moving in and I've had single friends who have done the same and I spoke to them about finances (they were on tax credits). I really felt I'd be okay.

Today after several weeks of waiting I got my Universal credits award of £88. If my eldest child wasn't disabled it would have been £0.

Basically, I'm now living on student finance, child benefit and £88....and my son's DLA. I don't get much more than a single mother out of work or student without dependents, except I have books, transport (fuel, parking, insurance, upkeep), school dinners and 15% childcare costs (approx £500 per month , that's if my car doesn't need major repairs). So I'm worse off than them. I've searched for help with bursaries and financial aid, and I don't know where to turn.

It doesn't help that student finance isn't paid in a regular sum. It is paid in smaller increments at the start of the two semesters (get just over half in that period), then a larger sum towards the end of the second semester. Which means my actual time at university for 9 months is only about £700 month. How is a mother with 2 children supposed to live off that?

So now I feel terrible: I've broken my relationship down, I've moved my children into a different home and new schools and I'm now just poor and verging on quitting everything. I don't think I have enough money to survive over the course of the Christmas period, I have just around £600 - that's for rent/car payments/fuel/food/electricity. On top of that my house was rented with no carpets or flooring. I have barely any furniture. This is poverty.

I have a very intensive degree on a foundation programme for medicine, which means there is no time to work around the degree as a single parent and I could only work Sundays (and I would have to rely on my partner for childcare). My ex-partner does give some support, but it's not enough to fill that gap as he doesn't earn much more than minimum wage himself and has a mortgage to pay.

I'm desperately trying all avenues for help, checking if the universal credits is correct. The helpline was unsympathetic and saying I should just budget and how I get £10,000 a year in student finance and anyone can survive fine on just that. I keep breaking down my basic outgoings and how they don't cover my income, they don't care. I'm losing the will to live and I have two summative essays of 2000 words to hand in by Thursday and I can't concentrate. I'm so close to failure.

I don't have any real or practical advice but wanted to send good wishes and the very best of luck to you. I hope it all works out.

I’m a doctor. Went to med school with several women with children.

Ignore absolutely every person whose husband is a doctor but who thinks you’re selfish to ‘pursue your dreams’. These people have massive internalised misogyny. Men being ambitious = right and proper. Women being ambitious = selfish. Fuck. Off.

It’s certainly true that many male doctors choose partners who do not have similar careers. My experience with these male doctors is that it has little to do with making things smooth for a family and quite a lot to do with never wishing to have a partner who is their equal. Many of these men are roaring sexists who are a nightmare to supervise as a senior doctor.

As for the people asking what you’ll do about childcare when you’re on nights....you’ll do the same as all the other parents who do nights. There are a lot of us.

Anyone who thinks I’m selfish, a bad mother, a bad woman, or simply not as good as her husband who’s a doctor is very very welcome to refuse my services when their child is helicoptered to my hospital.

As for the people asking what you’ll do about childcare when you’re on nights....you’ll do the same as all the other parents who do nights

What do single parents do. Fairly important omission there. Genuine question.

Do you know.

An unemployed single mother would get over approx' £1200* in benefits every month.

A student with children would get £840 per month. £140 ONLY in benefits and the rest is a loan THEY** will pay back.

As students are student finance is paid every 4 months start of October, January and May of a £2,800 payment - £700 per month. However, DWP calculate only over a 9 month period a minus off £970 every month from your UC award which for most students who don't have disabled children their UC award will be £0 or less than £100 (depends on circumstances).

If I declared myself unemployed and went university I would be fine. Except I can't.

I wonder, if I was studying nursing would some of the negative comments be positive? Many nursing students are mature students; it's very often a professional that people turn to at a later stage of life. In the next 5 years the impact of these cuts will not only effect me, but all of you because of health professional shortages from the UK.

I apologise for "drip feeding" about my personal circumstances, I acted rashly to accusations and really as actually that has nothing to with any advice I want from this thread.

tbh; I don't need advice in this area with my ex. We are coming to a monthly agreement, I only moved out 2 months ago. I know CSA would be about £120 a month. Also, that amount would come off my universal credit under the new system. So I would get £0 UC, as it's deducted £1 for £1.

I'm shocked that OP IS not getting support and encouragement from some people. And disappointed.

Op , you go and prove them all Wrong. And maybe save their lives one day.

Child maintenance received from your ex for your children isn’t classed as income for UC.

Op

You don’t seem to have the faintest clue about UC (child maintenance is absolutely NOT included in calculations)
And yet you are about to embark on a punishing study course and career

Come on. Get with the programme. For your children’s sakes.

You need to be seriously pro active and on top of everything.

You definitely need to formalise child support from your former partner. The fact he has a mortgage to pay is neither here nor there, his children are living in poverty and even if they weren't he still has an obligation to support them.

Would it be possible to sell your car? Public transport could work out a lot cheaper. (I say that as a mature student who lives a 15 minutes drove from my university, but it's worth the extra time travelling to save a small fortune).

And yes, do contact student services to find out about bursaries, scholarships and their hardship fund. There is help available! Your university have a vested interest in keeping you on your course, so they will do as much as they can to help.

Just thought - you say you can't use university accommodation because of your son's needs - but have you asked them to help you find more suitable (cheaper) private rental accommodation? Most universities have a department who deal with housing, even if they don't have anything on their books they would have some idea of where to look for it.

So we're supposed to stay with violent partners and aren't allowed an education now then? I'm gobsmacked. It's like something out of the dark ages on here. Good luck op!

Pointing out that childcare will be a problem isn't putting a downer on your plans-you have said your ex is not fit to help, so who will have them overnight or on a Sunday?

I have stated that I have arrangements for this, and it isn't the advice I was looking for. Because I'm a single mother doesn't mean I don't have family or friends. I am fully aware of the clinical placements of doing this degree.

Clinical placements with unsocial hours and nights would be a part of nursing too. Nursing takes a similar amount of time to medicine too, it took my friend 5 years to become a surgical nurse. I really think people are not talking about these suggestions from a point of understanding. Furthermore, I have considered other allied professions. Although other allied professions - this would not resolve my initial problem with student finances. Yes, I might have less an extra year of studying, there might be no unsocial placements (I don't care).

Can I also add - my son with SEN will one day be an adult and due to his disabilities will need supervision (he has Dravet Syndrome). I cannot have a job that will only work days as he will need someone there. Nights and weekends work better for me, because then I am always around. It's why I can't do university when he's older. I either do it now he's in school, or do it never.

Ok. Looking at your life, ambitions and commitments holistically, would a different course and different style of learning be more manageable at the moment? The OU is highly regarded and there are many, many courses and career options.
I’m not suggesting lowering your aspirations, just being more pragmatic.

I wish I could edit: when I said "always around" I meant during the day. I have more support for childcare during the night and weekends from family and friends. Which is why I've always worked nights and weekends before for many years and I never took a day off then, so I don't see why it's suddenly a problem now?

I think I need this thread closed, because I'm not going to benefit anymore as it has been taken off a tangent of the advice I sought.

I have an action plan.

• Go to CAB and check UC.
• Speak to university about financial help.
• Make a list of bursaries I might be available for and apply.
• Open a student bank account and talk to bank about assistance.
• Assess if there are ways I can cut my cost of living.
• Double check how getting a job would affect my UC award and look into finding a weekend job.
• Formulate a monthly payment with my ex (and check if I will lose my UC because of this)
• Communicate with my MP
• Campaign to change how student finance affects UC award.

Do you know, I would be financially £100s better off if I took a vocational course that didn't have a maintenance loan. Maybe I should become a hairdresser? Lol.

Score off the last two actions points FFS

I'll have a look at hardship fund - do you think it's university specific as I have looked for similar on my university website.

Often called “Access to Learning fund”, but in any case book an appointment with a atident asvice centre asvisor. They should also be able to check your UC calculation and entitlement.

Do not go back to an abusive man. You’ll find a way through.

Advisor*

Dont waste time with the CAB. The student advice centre will be able to give you global help with the whole financial fandango, including submitting financial support applications to the university or grant applications to charities.

Child maintainence is definitely ignored for all benefits.

Sorry for not responding. There's a lot to respond to.

I have one bursary, it's a scholarship bursary based solely on my A-level grades. I get £500 at the start and £500 in May. I used this towards my deposit on my house.

I don't have any other bursaries. This is part of my plan.

I should have been more succinct with my initial post. I was speaking from a place of emotion and not pragmatism. I am now dealing with this problem logically and not emotionally.

Other parts of action plan.

• Contact council.
• Look at how to access food banks.
• Family fund - I have an application in with them now, there is someone coming to talk to me and my son. I have been meaning to ask for Family Fund help for years, but I'm a proud person and I tend not to ask for monetary help so this is very hard for me to change my mindset and ask for financial assistance.

"Child maintainence is definitely ignored for all benefits."

It is with UC. From government website: "Child maintenance payments will be deducted from the monthly Universal Credit payment if the paying parent has no ‘earned income’"

"And another website: Under the current benefits system of tax credits, any child or spousal maintenance payments are not taken into account when calculating tax credit entitlement. However, whilst child maintenance will continue to be ignored, the calculation of Universal Credit will take into account any spousal maintenance a claimant is receiving. Spousal maintenance (along with all other unearned income) will be deducted in a pound for pound way from any Universal Credit calculation.

By way of example, if a claimant is receiving credit of £800 per month and spousal maintenance of £400 per month. Under the previous rules they would receive a total of £1,200 per month. However under the new Universal Credit rules the spousal maintenance would be deducted and the claimant would receive a total of £800 per month (£400 per month in maintenance and £400 for Universal Credit (£1,200 – £400)."

It is with UC. From government website: "Child maintenance payments will be deducted from the monthly Universal Credit payment if the paying parent has no ‘earned income’"

What? When was that introduced? Sorry i didn’t know that had been changed.
This UC system is so punitive. Dickensian.