Student Finance - independent student criteria

[RandomMess]

Does anyone know what the "you supported yourself for at least 3 years"

Adult child living at home working full time and paying board - does that count?

It didn't when I had to go through this.

I had to prove that I'd be entirely independent of everyone else; and they wouldn't even count the weeks spent in the Salvation Army, as they "may not have evicted me".

The criteria are pretty defined. The student needs a child under 18, to be over 25, to have no living parents, to be married, or be permanently estranged from their parents. For estangement, you have to prove this with official evidence, and show that it has been the case for at least 12 months.

Ok thanks thought as much!!

To be classed as independent student you need to be aged over 25, to be a student parent or prove you earned above a certain income threshold for a three year period (i.e. to prove you could financially support yourself).! You can apply to be an estranged student if your parents aren’t supporting you and you can prove the relationship has irreconcilably broken down (but this is more than a big argument a fortnight ago) and you are unlikely to have contact with them again.