Universities and low income funding

[IHE]

I know University grants don't exist any more, but can anyone point me in the direction of where to find information for support for low income parents?
Any tips on how to navigate funding applications etc if the other (divorced) parent is a high earner would also be really appreciated.

Hi,
Are you divorced from the high income parent? As in they’re not part of your household.

And which year is DC in?

Correct. I'd meant to say that. Original post amended.

U6.

generally the parent the student most lives with earnings need to be put on the SLoan application

If that parent lives with another person as a partner that can also be accounted for
this will affect how much maintenance loan a student receives ie whether they get the maximum ( in increments ) or not.

Uni fees and lower maintenance loan are paid irrespective of earnings.

Im also interested in support for low income families. Got two that will potentially be off to university in two years and worrying about what support I can give them.
One thing we have found is that our local university do an access to university course for y12 (have to meet criteria of either looked after, young carer, free school meals etc). If they complete it they get a conditional offer, if they accept and make it their first choice they'll get £3500 over 3 years to support them. Ones a lump sum to buy essentials when starting then the rest in installments.
Dc3 is also looking at degree apprenticeships but theres so much competition I'm not relying on them getting one.
Dc2 I will stay at home to hopefully reduce cost.
Im concerned about being unable to be a guarantor for housing (how do they secure housing?) I'm a single parent living on disability benefits and a small ill health pension. So got no way of increasing my income and I'll loose the uc top-up when they leave school which means they have no choice but to support them selves.

A gap year to work hard to save up money is a way to do it. Work in holiday, evenings and weekends during studies. A university close to home to reduce costs on transportion and living.

A lot of parents on MN complain that young people can't find work but the poor kids at my childrens' universities did. They weren't fuzzy. They simply had to and they spend less on parties, going out and clothes.

In terms of housing it depends
One of our dcs didnt need a guarantor, they were fine with his Student loan funding as proof he was a student
Our other two both needed us as a guarantor, one in Exeter and the other London
The area of course is irrelevant as it depends on who you’re renting off. So it’s a case of shopping around if you don’t meet the criteria as a guarantor.

This varies by area though and those cities with many large Universities are overrun with students trying to find part time work

It also depends on the course
Time heavy courses allow little time for much else
I have one ds required to do many hours of lab work. He can’t chose to fit that in at night after work, he has to be signed into the lab. That’s on top of lectures etc etc etc
Its widely known that students are failing whilst trying to fit in work on top of Uni commitments for some cources.

Better to try to find summer jobs if possible or take a year out to save

Hi @IHE firstly you might want to ask MN to move this to HE.

Not sure if this what you want to know but your DC is eligible for loans. A full loan for tuition fees and then a maintenance loan to pay rent and living exes. How low is a low income? If it’s less than £25k then they qualified for the full loan of approx £10k if at uni outside London.

BUT you should or they should look closely at accommodation costs as these can vary. I started a thread in HE on this but basically halls and private houses can cost as little as £4-5k pa in some places and as much as £10k or more (that is sometimes self catered too) in others.

My point being that it’s worth looking at that if you won’t have much ££ to offer support. Nothing wrong with considering the cost IMO.

Anecdotally cheaper places for accommodation include Sheffield Leicester Newcastle Lancaster Warwick and Oxbridge. Halls in Leicester for example <£100 pw.

£££ ones inc Bristol Bath, York Exeter. I’m not saying all accommodations in Bristol is costly nor am I saying don’t go there, but worth bearing in mind IMHO.

There are bursaries awarded by Universities for low income households. Definitions of this will vary.

There are scholarships for students but often these will be restricted to certain courses, grades achieved, location or parents occupation. E.g Bill Tutte scholarship for maths and computing from Newmarket area and having achieved grade A in A level maths. Leverhulme offers support if a parent is a grocer, pharmacist or commercial traveller. You would need to search based on your own circumstances.

However if the non resident parent is a high earner they should offer support to their own children so the limited money goes to those who really need it.

Dd received a bursary as she lives with low earning me rather than her high earning dad (we are divorced) The money was paid to her directly rather than as support to me.

Yet, the poor students at my childrens' universities work it out for their.
They don't have a chance unless they do - but none of the MN's children do I know that!

The cheapest way to go to uni is usually to go to a local university and live at home. Is this feasible for your DC? The student loan will cover the fees, they won't have accommodation costs, and any other expenses will be covered by the maintenance loan. They can work part time too of course.

Agree
Although always look beyond that first year in halls
Theyll be living for at least for 2 years not in halls and in many places its that accommodation that is more expensive.

of note some Unis have enough housing to allow students to live in halls for the full degree duration

Yes agree entirely. Will find my thread but really it’s about private accommodation.

DD in Leics paid less than £100 pw for her shared house, ds in Lboro pays about £6.5k inc bills for the whole year, while a friend has a DC in a shared house in Bristol which is costing £10k a year. Luckily they are able to pay it for them.

Mine work/worked in the Summer
DS1&2 took a year out and worked
DS2 worked weekends during term time but was very lucky to get that and had to travel for well over an hour to get to his place of work. He only did it in his first year as he struggled with workload

DS3 just won a Uni competition he entered giving him a £500 prize
DS1&2 both got a grant they applied for ( different Unis ) giving them 500 / year and the other £2500 for the course duration
DS3 went to an inexpensive rental area and worked for two years after to fund his masters now in an expensive area

They all pick up jobs as life guards in the summer

I’ve got three at Uni atm
2 in Exeter @ rental approx £7500 inc bills ( not WiFi or insurance)
One just outside London but within the London weighting paying a little more

Their halls were on a par with local rental costs. No travel costs, they all cycle.

Here’s my thread - the rents graphic is already out of date but it gives an idea

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/higher_education/5475672-interesting-if-dated-graphic-showing-student-rental-costs-yes-it-is-something-to-bear-in-mind?reply=150176129

Agree with @clary do investigate accommodation costs. Ds graduated from Warwick and halls were reasonable and he lived in Coventry in years two and three within walking distance of campus. Dd is at Bath which is £££. One of DD’s friends is at Cambridge and can stay in college for the duration of her degree.

Thanks for all the advice, though most is not coming at the issue from the direction I was thinking.

My ex-inlaws have said they can cover uni costs, and my ex earns more than enough to obviate the need even for a student loan. But there's no obligation that I'm aware of, details would never been shared and I feel a moral duty to contribute as much as I can.

One of the unis we went to an open day for mentioned bursaries for low income parents. DD got rejected by that one. So how common is that with other unis? How often is it loans? And is there means-testing for (eg) the Other Parent's finances? I feel that if/when my low income qualifies DD for (eg) a bursary, I'd at least be sort of contributing ... in a twisted kind of way.

Why should she get a bursary because you have a low income if her other parent is able and willing to support her financially? The bursary money is limited and should go to students who need it. Support her in other ways, e.g transport, setting up with household items, a big food shop at the start of term, a rent free home in the holidays.

If your ex and ex in-laws can cover the costs to the extent where no student loan is needed, your son is not from a low income family

ETA both parents income is taken into account.

Take a close look also at whether paying uni costs is a good idea. I know student loans are changing and I haven't studied it in detail (my DC almost done) but for example dd is very unlikely ever to pay off her loan, so if I had had £50k to pay her fees and living exes (instead of her taking the loan) it would be better used as a house deposit tbh.

Like I say, the changes may make it less of a good idea to take the loans. Also is she likely to go into a high paying career?

I don't know much about which unis have bursaries but I infer she has already applied? so it's a moot point tbh..

Our kids got grants ie no requirement to pay back

They found info through the Uni and applied themselves
I don’t know how or why they were accepted
One son doing Zoology qualified as a lifetime non meat eater for a grant from an animal charity as his study area was directly related to the charities purpose