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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

UCAS utterly unfair

626 replies

Iwasneveragoddess · 17/12/2019 18:25

My third child is filling out his UCAS form and as happened with his sister he has to put the highest earner in the household on the form, which will affect his loan, this isn’t me it’s my DH who is not father to any of my children.

He is still paying maintenance for his own children and is not financially responsible for mine, how on earth is this fair?

OP posts:
Butchyrestingface · 17/12/2019 18:30

Did you not know this would be the case before you married him, OP?*

*not getting at you, btw.

Original poster
Iwasneveragoddess · 17/12/2019 18:31

Why on earth would I have known before I married him?

I didn’t cross my mind ...

OP posts:
Original poster
Iwasneveragoddess · 17/12/2019 18:33

And the marriage makes no difference it’s “highest earner in the household”

OP posts:
Spartak · 17/12/2019 18:33

It's not an application for finance, they collect information of the occupation of the main earner for statistical purposes and pass on your son's details to the student finance people to speed up the process.

Butchyrestingface · 17/12/2019 18:35

Why on earth would I have known before I married him?

Because this happening to people is not news to me and I don’t even have kids.

Not saying I think it’s fair. I don’t think that.

Original poster
Iwasneveragoddess · 17/12/2019 18:35

It will affect the amount of finance he gets as it did my daughter.

OP posts:
IdiotInDisguise · 17/12/2019 18:36

I will remain single for that reason alone. I cannot find an extra £9000 a year required to make me free.

Chickoletta · 17/12/2019 18:36

Not through this form it won’t. This is only for stats. Student Finance is separate from UCAS.

bardlion · 17/12/2019 18:37

Student finance applications open in the spring, ucas is just data collection. Doesn't mean you should lie though.

TabbyMumz · 17/12/2019 18:37

I'm presuming the op is referring to the application for loan form Spartak? In which case, the higher the income of the house, the lower the loan the student receives?

Original poster
Iwasneveragoddess · 17/12/2019 18:37

We had been together for 8 years before DD applied.

I can hardly leave him can I?

OP posts:
Original poster
Iwasneveragoddess · 17/12/2019 18:38

@TabbyMumz

Yes

OP posts:
Butchyrestingface · 17/12/2019 18:39

We had been together for 8 years before DD applied.

I can hardly leave him can I?

I don’t think anybody is suggesting that. And the voting is strongly in your favour.

Seeline · 17/12/2019 18:40

No the UCAS form does ask for the occupation of the highest earner.

It doesn't ask what that income is though.

It is separate from the finance forms, so no, I would not say that UCAS is unfair.

AppleKatie · 17/12/2019 18:40

No but whilst he is your DH and he is the main earner he does have a moral obligation to your children I think. He married you which extends to a responsibility to them imo. (And the same the other way around of course).

Original poster
Iwasneveragoddess · 17/12/2019 18:40

I wasn’t being serious about leaving him - I am just outraged, he’s not their parent and he has never been financially responsible for my children.

I bought them up alone for 10 years Angry

OP posts:
IdiotInDisguise · 17/12/2019 18:42

The UCAS application doesn’t affect the loan BTW. But it will when he fills his loan application.

By the way, when he does his loan application, you will find a little box to be ticked if you want to share the family’s financial info with the university. Make sure you tick it, this allow the university to automatically check to see if they can offer him a bursary/additional help.

Original poster
Iwasneveragoddess · 17/12/2019 18:42

Their fathers, who earn significantly less, paid me maintenance.

He is still paying for his own children (which they do not take into consideration) my children are nothing to do with him financially or his salary

OP posts:
Original poster
Iwasneveragoddess · 17/12/2019 18:43

Can we just establish that I mean the loan application.

OP posts:
ThemoonisanAmericanism · 17/12/2019 18:46

The loan application doesn’t ask for the highest earner’s income.

whatnow40 · 17/12/2019 18:46

Years ago now when I applied for student finance, my mum and dads incomes were taken in to account. Even though my Dad has had no contact or provided support since I was a year old and my mum kicked me out of home at 16. I slept rough some of the time while getting myself through college. I was still considered their dependants, even though I was also over 18 by the time I applied. It pissed me off no end. I worked full time around classes and managed to finish Uni without any short term debt and only that standard student loan. It's nice if parents can help financially, but character building if not.

noideaatallreally · 17/12/2019 18:47

Although he may be morally obliged to pay for his own children's uni costs are you sure that he is obliged to? I'm not saying he should not contribute, but is their finance not based on the fact that they don't live with him and is therefore based on their mother's household income?

TabbyMumz · 17/12/2019 18:47

It goes on household income, so although hes not responsible for your children, his salary makes your household income go up. But I do understand what you mean.

RhiWrites · 17/12/2019 18:47

Have you ever said any of this to student finance?

titchy · 17/12/2019 18:49

All income dependent benefits are based on household income, regardless of whether a couple are the biological parents of the children in the household.

Same as UC, child benefit etc.

So don't blame the SLC.

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