Applying for Uni 2019 Part 5: UCAS, offers and exam season looming

[NewModelArmyMayhem18]

New thread started. Here's the previous one

Piggywaspushed maybe a conversation with a named person at SFE would be useful, sooner rather than later? Clearly the system doesn't really factor in anomalies (it doesn't even really seem to acknowledge that couples are likely to have joint savings accounts!!!), such as a large change in income.

Personally, I don't really understand why all the DC aren't eligible for the same maximum loan (as I had originally thought to be the case).

DD's school is open as they do a mix of IB and A levels, and have exams on today, consequently she's in school. Obviously IB are international and don't need to worry about May Day bank holiday.

Piggy, I sympathcise there with those exam clashes.

Good luck to everyone's DC sitting exams.

DD just did A levels and hers all started in June last year (chemistry, biology, geography). Have they bruught some A level subjects forward this year?

I went through the pain of this last year, so we can now "enjoy" the horrible weather stress free, and go to festivals and events without worrying about revision. We are off on holiday to warmer climes next week. Our first holiday outside of school holidays for many years.

First A level paper for dd's year is 2 weeks today but language speaking exams have already started. Dd's first written paper is a month away. She has 2 clashes I think.

First written A level papers for dd's year are 2 weeks today - Psychology and Economics- But language speaking exams have already started. Dd's first written paper is a month away. She has 2 clashes I think.

@mrklaw - when they fill in the SLC firm they can opt whether or not to apply for the meanstested bit. If they don’t apply, you’re basically saying that your household residual income is over £70k, without providing any further info. They’d then get £4100-odd outside London or £5800-odd in London

We’re likely to have two in London unis from September, both will get the £5800-odd. If we top them up to the max loan that’s £5850 each. If we were applying for the meanstested bit, they give you an ‘allowance’ of £1100-odd when they’re calculating residual income. That seems a bit 🤔

Luckily the older one has a job which is virtually a sponsorship, they pay him well for doing something that he loves and would probably be doing in some form without getting paid anyway. We do pay a contribution, but less than the SLC figures would say. He’s not only managing fine, he’s saving too so I don’t feel bad at all. And he only has a year to go. Dd will work in the holidays when she can but she’ll be in a more expensive part of London and her course is longer with more contact hours (medicine)

I meant an allowance of £1100-ish for having another dependent student in the family - just to clarify

Another IB family here! DC1's first paper is tomorrow though thankfully. 2 subjects this week, 3 subjects next week, then just the H chemistry exams in the final week. All ends on the 23rd, but there are a LOT of exams in 3 weeks.

Oh, and their 18th birthday is in the middle of it!

Thanks - so if my daughter is in full time education would we get the extra 1100, or only if they’re both at university? (Which will only be one year overlap at the end of son’s course)

blame Wow! Brilliant to be finishing early but that's going to a seriously intense two weeks!!! Wishing him well.

OP, I spoke to SFE once and they just mentioned a form which I eventually found online. Now I have a reference number , they might be more helpful. But it all boils down to guesstimating earnings. And the form -surprise!- is really complicated to fill in.

DH won't even discuss it atm. Too preoccupied.

Gosh, this is complicated coleoptera.

So... when you fill in the bit for DTs , it asks for household income. If that is over about 65k nothing happens. If under, DTs are asked for names of people who need to provide further financial info.

You then get an email. You have to provide details of income for tax year 2017/18.

If it is projected to go down by more than 15% then you have to provide income for 2017/18 still but then fill in a form (after googling for three days you will find the right one) detailing your projections for 2019/20(with your crystal ball in hand!)

I don't think there is any form you will fill in if you think it will go up, but am guessing if that happens when you provide details for the next year (ie second year) they claw back overpayment (from your DTs) at that point. Hence my jitters.

I don’t think you need to worry if you expect/predict next year to go up. The calculations are based on icon for 2017/18. If your income goes up, that’ll just be reflected in next years application

The 15% thing is a protection if you’re in the ‘partial loan’ zone and eg you were made unemployed or changed jobs so don’t want to be unduly impacted by an income assessment based on two years ago

The big problem comes Klaw when that didn't happen last year (ie 2018/19 tax year) but is due to happen in the next year. then it all becomes guess work. Even next year, the only P60 you can provide is the 18/19 one!

@mrklaw - I believe it’s a dependent still in education at any age, although the amount might be different for a younger child in school. Our d that’s due to start in September is our youngest

The point I was making was that they’d give us an ‘allowance’ when calculating outgoings on our income of £1100 for having another child at uni whereas the expected contribution to that child is £5850

Good job I like beans on toast

@HostessTrolley If you think SF is bad, wait till you have to apply for NHS funding a few years down the line!

@HostessTrolley yeah that’s a good point - the allowance bears no relation to the amount you’re expected to contribute so some people could definitely be significantly worse off than others in slightly different circumstances

@Decorhate 😢 - DD would be due to finish year 1 at the same time that DS graduates, so we’re going to put some of the money that we’re used to paying out to him, away to one side to help DD through years 5 and 6 when she’d move onto nhs funding. Assuming she gets the A levels...

BringOnTheScience - hopefully the exam goes well. IB does sound intense. One real positive is they get they're results a lot earlier though.

Tapas - it's geography DD is kicking off with, so it's earlier. Two exams before half term and two after.

@ifonly4 They do get their results SO much sooner don't they?!?! All sorted by early July.

History and Anthropology this week. Many essays. All the essays. Epic tonnes of essays!

@bringonthescience
Good luck for the coming weeks!
All over very soon.
Thursday is a rough day for DS - 5.5 hours of exams starting at 9am and finishing at 5pm. An early night is needed on Thursday before he goes again on Friday.
Biology and Geography are all over this week. He can delete that all from his brain on Friday!

DS usually does a shift in a pub on a Saturday night, but he’s asked for the coming Saturday off so that he can re-group and get ready for the final week.

blame Birthday and band gig in the middle of it all too!

Good luck to everyone starting exams this week.
DD has a couple of weeks before her first. Luckily they are spread or really well but as she’s been assessed as needing extra time each exam goes on for so long for her.

Sounds like an intense couple of weeks for those DC doing the IB but possibly the pain worth the gain of getting results in early July. Will the universities confirm places then, or do the young people have to wait until A Level Results Day to find out?

Good luck to all DC.

Yikes to having 18th Birthday in the midst of exams season...