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Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

Original poster

University and Universal Credit

20 replies

youngmomof2 · 15/12/2020 22:08

Hi I am a 22 year old single mum of two, aged 5 and 2 and I am estranged from family and recently came out of an abusive situation so the father is no longer involved.

I started university in September, to improve my situation long term and applied for a student loan and relevant grants. However all my universal credit benefits have stopped and I'm struggling to pay for rent and bills.

Are there any other ways I can receive any form of help? I have already tried to speak to university but haven't been able to see any one face to face given the circumstance, as well as citizens advice and they haven't been much help. I am worried that I will have to drop out. Any positive advice is appreciated, thanks in advance.

OP posts:
Northernsoullover · 15/12/2020 22:10

Can you apply to the university hardship fund?

WrongKindOfFace · 15/12/2020 22:13

Why did your universal credit stop? You should still be getting some, less the loans/grant. Have you called them?

Original poster
youngmomof2 · 15/12/2020 22:57

@Northernsoullover

Can you apply to the university hardship fund?
The last time I spoke to them, they said I can only apply for a £250 loan which wouldn't be very useful

@WrongKindOfFace that is what I was thinking. At the moment I receive £9,950 from student finance including grants which is the amount I disclosed to universal credit. Maybe the amount to them is wrong because this can't cover all my living expenses course material, travels etc. I don't know if they took any living expenses into consideration.

OP posts:
WrongKindOfFace · 15/12/2020 23:41

If I were you I’d ring them and ask them to check the payments.

Wordsandwishes · 17/12/2020 11:56

Hi OP, did you manage to sort this out?

lyingwanker · 17/12/2020 12:13

This is definitely wrong. I'm a single mum at uni and still get benefits for my children alongside my maintenance loans.

Original poster
youngmomof2 · 17/12/2020 12:20

How do you manage this please? & I have since spoken to UC and explained that the figure I disclosed is for 12 months and what I actually received was an amount of approx £2800, I believe they might reassess this and I will need to disclose how much I receive every semester.

OP posts:
Cornishmumofone · 17/12/2020 12:20

@youngmomof2 Whilst you're trying to sort the rest out, I would recommend applying for the hardship money. It might only be £250 but that's better than nothing and could pay for a few weeks' food.

Original poster
youngmomof2 · 17/12/2020 12:22

@CornishmumofoneThat’s very true, however it’s a loan which I would need to pay back do you think this is worth it?

OP posts:
Herja · 17/12/2020 12:27

Is that all your university will offer if you really plead? That's what mine say to, but there are also various extra grants and loans they are quieter about...

I also have 2 DC and am a full time student, my loan comes in at around 10.5k (not in London) and I am definitely also entitled to benefits (as I currently recieve them). Check your entitlements again. Check your student finance amount. Plead with the university.

Something has gone wrong here.

WrongKindOfFace · 17/12/2020 12:31

www.uceplus.co.uk/student.html# Is quite a good site for working out what you’re entitled to.

Original poster
youngmomof2 · 17/12/2020 22:07

@Herja thanks everytime for your replies honestly, you have really encouraged me to keep pestering. Hopefully in the new year I will receive some positive news.

@WrongKindOfFace I’m going to check the site out now thank you😊

OP posts:
Cornishmumofone · 17/12/2020 22:14

Most university hardship funds are given to students, rather than being loans, so it may be worth checking what your uni offers.

emmylousings · 17/12/2020 22:15

I agree that you are entitled to universal credit as a student: check out
www.gingerbread.org.uk. I'm amazed you have had such poor advice - unless there is something complicated we don't know about!

MummytoCSJH · 17/12/2020 22:44

Sorry I've just seen this - You are definitely still entitled to UC. I get the full amount of loans and Grant's which totals 11.3k, but only 6136 of my student income is taken into consideration. They've taken the full amount and not considered the breakdown. None of the special support element or parents learning allowance grant is taken into consideration. They will owe you money as they have not calculated it correctly! Also you will get a UC entitlement which includes your living costs and the child element x2 then they will take your income that should be taken into consideration, divide by 8 (term time months) and allow you 110 per month. Whatever is left over gets taken off as non-earned income pound for pound but it definitely won't be more than your overall entitlement in your circumstances to leave you with 0, so they've screwed up here. Let me know if you need any more info, I'm a full time student with 1 child x

MummytoCSJH · 17/12/2020 22:48

In regards to the student loan payment being split by semester - doesn't matter, they do take the amount as an annual amount, this is correct. But they don't consider it income for the full 12 months, in summer holidays they consider you unemployed so you will have no student income taken off your entitlement (but usually can work with them so they don't change your commitments to having to look for work just for 3 months as its pointless). They only take your annual amount (not the full 9k as it doesn't include elements for certain things!) over 8 months then as I mentioned they split that by 8 and exclude £110 from the calculations when working it out x

MummytoCSJH · 17/12/2020 22:51

If you want to give me the breakdown (amounts of your loans/grants and the names of them) I can tell you what they should be considering and what they should be disregarding x

hennersley · 17/12/2020 22:52

Hi when I was at university I still received benefits. Student loan is not classed as an income because it's a loan that you are going to pay back, did you maybe declare it as an income? Also I don't think they need to know about your grants for childcare. Definitely talk to them and get it sorted, and don't drop out! Good luck x

Athenajm80 · 17/12/2020 23:25

I'm in Wales so this might not be the way it's done in England, but the tuition fee part of the grant or loan should definitely be disregarded. The pp who said about the £110 disregard is correct.

Did you supply your student loan breakdown letters? You should have been asked to upload them. If not, I'd upload them and ask for a Mandatory Reconsideration. In fact, do it anyway, maybe highlighting the different elements.

MummytoCSJH · 17/12/2020 23:48

@hennersley the loan is counted as an income despite having to pay it back unfortunately (because it is money you are getting now, and very few actually pay it back). Luckily as OP has dependants the majority of her student finance will be grants though, so it's only very little of her actual loan that will be counted. Childcare grant is not paid directly to students anymore but to the provider so not included in the total in any student finance docs at all as of this year x

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