Is it possible to do a degree with children and living on IS ?

[chocybickie]

Hi, today I had an induction day for an access to humanities course. It went very well.
Anyway, I know I have to apply to my local uni fairly early but I am beginning to worry about the financial side of things since I am currently claiming income support.
Does anyone have any experience of this?

My friend is a single Mum, on income support, 5 kids, 2 with autism. whenever I get down about my lot I looka t her and marvel. She gets a lot of good grades too.

I believe students previously on IS (which you will get in the long summer break) actually end up better off on loan / grant system.

I go off income support when i start in September. Are you single?

you have to come off of IS and instead you claim Tax credits.

wit that and your loan and grants you end up a little but better off....your certainly not rich but you don't lose out.

Oh i didn't realise that i have to come off IS.
That would make me better off since I might actually see the CSA money which IS takes straight away.
Yes I am single. I'm a bit lost at present with the loans and grants. I somehow doubt I could be better off though that's my pesimistic side shining through.

yeah you will getthe CSA money on top so i would say go for it.

you cn actualy go to the student advisor and theyw ill give you a break down of what you can claim.

you will have to apply for all your loans and grants, have you asked the uni about all this, they should be able to help

I haven't asked yet as I've just managed to sort out the financial help for the access course. But I wanted to know if I actually could go on to complete a degree before I put everything in to this course.
This is all sounding very positive so far. Apart from all the paper work! But I would love to get off IS and actually see the CSA money at some point as well as going on to start this degree.
Thanks for your help I will contact financial support ASAP.

I apparently am going to get 70 pouinds a week tax credit, about 70 percent of my rent paid, i get 85 percent of my child care paid, i get loans and grants. I have no idea how it will work yet and i am scared of the transition but i will let you know more when it happens. I was talking to a single mum the other month and she said she was loaded!

Wow that sounds a lot better than the £57 i get a week to live on atm!
I can't wait now lol.

You will definitly be better off than 57 quid a week but it's all about budgeting and not spending it all in the first week by going to thailand.

Err am I likely to do that?
It must be tempting to spend it when you are used to having a very strict budget. I'll have to hand it over to my mum to look after.

The moher I referred to earlier on just spent £300 on a beagle and she gets no CSA so she must be OK!

You need to fill in the forms anyway just to cover the Uni fees. So the extra cash (parent grant, maintenance grant, loan, childcare grant to be precise I think?- although there's another form for the childcare grrr) all come anyway.

Forms in by July, but get them in early.

£300 on a dog?! Madness.
Still, all sounding positive.

Forms in by june here, i also get no csa, but tbh if i did i think i would get less money.

the easiest way of budgeting is to work out what you get in total and then divide it so you know how much you have to live on each week. have your money paid inot one account then set up a direct debit so that your weekly allowance gets paid into the other acount.
give the cards or book for the money IN account to your mum so your not tempted to spend any of it.

also you are able to claim IS again during the holidays so your yearly grants etc only have to last between sept and march.

Thats a fab idea re the two banks fattie

I find that it's best on grant day (I love that day LOL) to pay for everything I know I am going to need- clothes for boys, birthday gifts for my whole family duringt hat period- the lot. Then I divide up the remainder.

Am about to go into yr 2, and hqve got a job through Uni as a mentor in local schools, only £25 pw in term times, but student loans don't count anything you earn in a part time job

do you get a grant in one lump sum or in payments?

can't you tell i had to do this lol

Three: One about a week after you enrol; one in January; one in May

You willa lso find your Uni will offer access funds for people like yourself, and emergency loans if needed. And Welsh students with an income under £15K per year get an additional Assembly Grant too. If you have to go away to Uni, consider Wales LOL! (Also, coz it's cheaper to live here)