Going to university as a single mum

[Bluecarrotsgirl]

Hey there, I’m 21 y/o and a single mother to a beautiful baby who is 18 months old! After job hopping whilst this pandemic started I want to look into doing a uni degree. I’ve found a course that suits my future career. However I’ve found it kind of confusing how the grants and loans work, and was wondering if anyone could dumb it down for me and if I could afford to live and pay my bills with the money I would get, thank you if anyone helps!

You’ll get the full maintenance loan which is around 3300 3 times a year, this doesn’t cover the summer holidays though.
You can also apply for the childcare grant, where the nursery will directly be paid 80% of your childcare costs.
Parents learning allowance is 550 3 times a year with your Mai tenancy loan.
Some university’s offer a hardship fund which you can apply for and may get an extra grand on top each year.

It’s very doable! I was a single mum when I started my degree :) good luck!

Oh also, universal credit will deduct your student loan from your entitlement, it it will go back up to your full entitlement during the summer holidays.