student grants loans and fees..what do you have to pay back..

[zippitippitoes]

ds stasrtinmg this year at uni has 3000 in fees paid, a loan of 3205 and a grant of 2700...I'm confused about which he has to repay and when?

the loans, not the grants

Thank you, so the grant is "free" then..what about the fees? i thought i read that they had to be paid back now?

Are you in England? as there are different rules for the different countries in UK

You get a loan for the fees from Student finance - this is separate from the maintenance loan & it covers whatever the 'variable fees are' (bit of a joke this, as most unis seem to be charging the full £3000)
As far as I can gather (and I hope I've got this right, as I'm trying to sort DD out at the moment)you need to send the letter you get from the local authority to the uni/college so they can collect the fees themselves. The student is then responsible for paying it back once they are earning £15,000. (I think you also pay interest at the rate of inflation)
This is the first year that fees don't have to be paid up front, which is why so much of the published advice is confusing.

england..he also has a disabled grant form to fill in but we only just got that

I dont think the interest is at the rate of inflation actually

I am cacking it because I still havent heard anything

have they told you what the year fees are?

so they do have to pay back the fees eventually on this new system?

dd is going in to her final year and I understood (on the old system) that she didn't have to pay her fees back ever

ds fees are 3000 and his residence is over 5000

yes you do have to repay the fees unless you are exempt, 3k is alot, is that a year?

yes 300o per year, who is exempt?

I'd forgotten you are going to uni fio

Zippi -For 2006 entry onwards the fees will have to be paid back - but you only have to start doing that when you have graduated and are in a job paying over a threshold amount.Your ds will have to pay his fees and loan back when he graduates and is working. The grant does not have to be repaid.
Hope he enjoys university.

you are exempt if you or your parents (in your sons case) are on means tested benefits and things and/or a disabled and stuff. I am not even sure if I am exempt yet but my fees are only 1200 a year

I had to laugh there was a question on my finance form that said:

Parent Periods Abroad
At any time since 1 September 2002 has either of your parents, step parents or guardians lived or worked outside the UK and Islands or in the case of an EU, EEA or Swiss national, outside the EEA or Switzerland?

I havent spoken to my father for almost 5 years

so the fees have all gone up and they have to be paid back..I shall have to tell him the bad news

They have to be earning a certain amount before they pay back though.........and it is apparently small amounts

From the Student Finance Direct website:
"Loans are available to students to help with living costs, e.g. accommodation, food, clothes, travel etc. Interest is charged at the rate of inflation, so the amount the student eventually repays will be equal in value to the amount borrowed. The interest rate is currently 2.4%."
and
"From September 2006, ....Students will not be required to pay fees before they start their course or while they are studying, although they can do so if they wish. They can apply for an additional loan to cover the cost of these fees. This gives the advantage of not having to find this money from elsewhere, and we will pay the fees directly to the institution.
The fee loan is then repaid in the same way as the other student loan ? only once the student has completed their studies and is earning over the repayment threshold of £15,000 per year."
So yes, the interest is at the rate of inflation - but this is only for new students, not existing ones or those who got their offer before August 2005 (eg gap year students with a deferred place)

this is the Student Finance website