To consider taking out a loan I might not pay back?

[berrygirlie]

So first off, yes I probably am BU (I know) and I'm not seriously considering this because I know it's shitty.

I'm in full time education right now, which just so happens to amount to about 2 days a week 9:30-2pm most of the time. I'm keen to do a 3 month course starting in January that's an evening course and I could juggle both courses easily enough as this shorter course is only on every Tuesday night.

However, the payment upfront is £125 - if I don't pay it, they can't enroll me properly and there's no payment plan scheme. I'm on a very low income at the mo and I could potentially save it if I absolutely scrimped and scraped it together, but it would be very uncomfortable. However a mate of mine is advising to just take out a student loan - with the issue being I'm disabled and there's not a definite guarantee I'll be able to work in the future and may never get to the income where I'd need to pay it back.

Very keen to do the course and have something to focus on given my area is going into Tier 4 lockdown and I'll be bored to tears without enough to do, but it's tricky given I have essentially no disposable income right now (mostly spent on the vitals).

I'm in Scotland and already getting a bursary due to my low income, but this money is really keeping me afloat at the moment. Desperate times and all that. I probably won't do it but interested in opinions.

@Delamalama Haha I really don't want to have that association / feel like I'm cruising with that money though, I'd hate to be like that. I know it's a pittance to a lot of people but it's a good chunk of money to me and I'm very resistant to getting myself into debt if I don't have to, particularly if it might affect someone else down the line

I need to win the lottery haha

Are you still able to apply for a student loan now for your HNC?

I know a woman who is at university and gets 12000 a year student loans.

This much include course fees though?

I think so @FundamentallyFucked, the course started in mid-September, but I'd have to check more closely

Sorry if I've missed it, but what's the course? I wouldn't be getting into debt for some courses, especially not at the moment when it's online and you could get a lot from reading up on the subject for free. If it's a proper qualification that will complement your HNC in a meaningful way then that's a different story. I agree that education isn't only about employability but with HE the way it is right now, without the personal interaction and social aspect, I do think it's a bit mad to overstretch for an evening course just to keep you occupied when you're on another course anyway.

I'm moving onto a degree hopefully (probably an OU degree as a big daily commute would be a stress for me). Yu can only ever get a student loan once Is this true? I didn't know this.

Yes, you can only claim it once.

Ok if I understand correctly, you're currently doing an HNC. You would be entitled to a maintenance loan (not a fee loan because you don't pay fees in Scotland) but you don't currently claim it? You now want to claim the maintenance loan and use it to pay for the 3 month course that starts in January?

Is that right? In which case fine! And why on earth haven't you claimed the maintenance loan before now?!

@Pinkdelight3 it's an intro course that relates to another course i might be able to do down the line (which would be supported by SAAS so hopefully won't have this dilemma again). I guess not vital but means I would have an easier entry

@titchy Is that right? In which case fine! And why on earth haven't you claimed the maintenance loan before now?!

Trying to avoid as much loans or debt as I can

@Delamalama

I know a woman who is at university and gets 12000 a year student loans. She freely admits that's the only reason she's at uni, she's definitely not bright enough to be there. She has 3 children, a boyfriend who is on a minimum part time wage but she is always bragging about what she has bought and she's always going abroad.

£125, go for it!

How can that be sustaining her family? From what I know you can’t get universal credit if you are a FT student so £12k is all she has plus whatever he boyfriend gets on his part time wage. That’s hardly going to be a comfortable existence for a family of 5.

Not true about only being able to get a loan once. However, you can only get a loan for the length of a degree plus one more year. So be careful about running out of loan entitlement if you intend topping up through the OU later. Though again assuming you remain in Scotland you should remain fee-free even with OU.

@titchy Hoping to avoid taking out any more loans. Maybe I'll just drop the whole idea of doing this course, I don't know. I'd start my OU degree part time now but SAAS won't support multiple courses sadly

Gosh - a lotta courses! I'd be hesitant with the non-essential and down-the-line nature of it, but others know more about the funding situation up there so if you're sure it won't come back on you in any way and you at least intend to try to pay it back if possible then go ahead. I don't personally feel that it's fine just because loads of other people don't pay anything back. It's pretty obvious the system can't sustain that situation. But if you can square it with yourself and feel it's worth it then go for it.

Lots of people take student loans with intentions to pay back but no one actually knows where life will take them and IF they will be able to afford paying back. Go for it. If you can afford to pay back then do so. If you can't then don't. You are trying to get educated not robbing a charity

@Pinkdelight3 So the idea is HNC now, intro course potentially (this is the one in Jan) followed by practical course, then OU degree hopefully using some credits to get into 2nd year early. After that no clue, I probably won't do any other degrees unless I find a career field I'm really keen on.

I don't personally feel that it's fine just because loads of other people don't pay anything back. It's pretty obvious the system can't sustain that situation.

I don't want to take anything from anyone or fuck up the loans system

@titchy

Not true about only being able to get a loan once. However, you can only get a loan for the length of a degree plus one more year. So be careful about running out of loan entitlement if you intend topping up through the OU later. Though again assuming you remain in Scotland you should remain fee-free even with OU.

The information I've found says otherwise?

In principle, the only way you'll be eligible to receive a Maintenance Loan is if this is the first higher education course that you're enrolling on. But, in practice, things are a little more complicated.

www.savethestudent.org/student-finance/maintenance-loans.html#eligible

And here:

If you’ve studied before: You’ll usually only get student finance if you’re doing your first higher education qualification - even if your previous course was self-funded. You may still be eligible for limited funding in certain circumstances and for some courses.

www.gov.uk/student-finance/who-qualifies

Good luck with your studies OP, I hope you find some way of financing it. Can you ask family members for early cash gifts for Christmas?

@MaelyssQ No family unfortunately.

[quote berrygirlie]@Pinkdelight3 So the idea is HNC now, intro course potentially (this is the one in Jan) followed by practical course, then OU degree hopefully using some credits to get into 2nd year early. After that no clue, I probably won't do any other degrees unless I find a career field I'm really keen on.

I don't personally feel that it's fine just because loads of other people don't pay anything back. It's pretty obvious the system can't sustain that situation.

I don't want to take anything from anyone or fuck up the loans system [/quote]
Do the calculator now-it will tell you if you’re entitled.

If you’re not, it’s a moot point anyway.

Please bare in mind that if you want to buy a house in the future then this loan will affect a mortgage.

@Redlocks28 It says "Student finance

You could get per year:

£8,816 Maintenance Loan to pay living costs"
(this is just for a maintenance loan)

@Airyfairymarybeary Fuck, hadn't thought of that

@Airyfairymarybeary

Please bare in mind that if you want to buy a house in the future then this loan will affect a mortgage.

The whole point is OP thinks she will not work in the future so will not hit the threshold for paying it back. It's very unlikely she will be buying a house under those circumstances.

Surely you will be able to pay back £125 at some point? That’s just saving about £10 per month for a year!

[quote berrygirlie]@Redlocks28 It says "Student finance

You could get per year:

£8,816 Maintenance Loan to pay living costs"
(this is just for a maintenance loan)[/quote]

The maximum student loan in Scotland is £6750