Going to a non-Scottish university

[Scotuni]

Our DD is going into S4 and I’m belatedly thinking about her future.. We earn over £35k so I know we would be able to apply for a maintenance loan of £4750 if she went to a Scottish University. But would we get this loan amount if she went to an English/Welsh/N.Irish University?

We are not financially in a good position (no savings/large debt after a period of unemployment) but on paper earning a good annual salary. I know ideally she should stay at home and go to a local uni but both my partner and I think that being a student is as much about learning to live independently and flying the nest as it is about studying. We both left our home cities in England and lived 100 miles from home.

I know we would have to get a loan for the fees in England/Wales N.Ire but is there a limit on the amount of money you can get in a loan for maintenance and accommodation? Or is there a cap and the expectation that parents provide the shortfall? Is the figure of £4750 maintenance only applicable for Scottish students who study in Scotland ie. if you choose an English uni it’s a whole other funding/loan system.

We’ve been burying our heads in the sand about this and I’ve been reading all the threads about how much people have saved for their kid’s future study. Have got myself in a state thinking about it all. This is my first step in trying to face up to the reality of it all.

Yup am aware of that Aqua

@WaxOnFeckOff re your earlier post, its the same at St Andrews as I've looked it up. Its not always quite as bad as it looks at first as they lump Scottish and EU students together and average the figures and the EU students have a really tiny acceptance rate, low single figures usually. They get really upset about it but i don't think it would be fair if they squeezed Scottish students out.

There aren't many Scots at St. Andrews, Wiggly. Both of my older boys went there and we're in a tiny minority. Even more so because they were state/home educated. Although, I believe that is improving because the uni is keen to improve its figures for kids from disadvantaged and non traditional backgrounds.

I'm no statistical expert and can't tell what the split in Scottish to EU applicants is, but I can't see that making a significant difference to the stats. At the end of the day the unis are a business and there is more money to be made from a RUk or RoW student as the fees for Scots and EU are capped at a fraction of the rate paid by those. I don't know what the answer is, but there clearly is imbalance in the system as I can't see that a student from EU would be less qualified for a space than someone from Brazil or whatever.

To be fair, it doesn't seem to be all unis. Glasgow seem to issue an unconditional to all applicants who already meet the stated criteria. I'm not sure if there is a cap but from what I've experienced or read on here and other social media, it doesn't seem to be obvious.

Looked up Edinburgh and St Andrews for my DDs course (economics) and it looks like offer rates are only about 20%. She's state educated but not in any of the widening access category. Oh well she might end up at Glasgow after all.

the EU students have a really tiny acceptance rate, low single figures
Bugger. DD is going to have to study in Germany after all then.

Ds1 got into St Andrews from a state school, Clerk. He didn't meet any of the wider access criteria either. Ds2 was HE, did a SWAP course and has ASD, he ticked lots of boxes😁 A couple of other kids from school went with Ds1, so it is definitely worth your DD applying, if that's what she wants. It's a fabulous experience, totally different from going to one of the bigger unis.

@Clerkmaxwell four kids from DS2s year went to St Andrews from his not terribly big, not terribly posh Scottish comp, I wouldn't worry too much ( although I did have my fingers crossed the whole time). DS did have 5 As for his Highers though and I think his references would be very good as his teachers really liked him. Again thats the average for EU and Scottish and they are really stingy with places for EU students but get quite a few applications. So if a really good Scottish student with Straight As applies their real chance of entry might be quite a bit higher given that some students will apply with the minimum.

@Lessstressedmum, DS2 also has ASD and is also loving St Andrews. There aren't many Scots on his course, it's a humanities subject and from what I've observed there are a few more Scots in the science dept. He doesn't care, after living all his life in a village he likes meeting people from all over.

She'll definitely apply for StA and does have 5As in Highers (and 8As in National 5s). Personal statement will be okay because she's done lots of relevant things and writes well. However IMO most people have great personal statements. I would never have recognized my own sons from their personal statements!. Reference might be an issue as she switched schools for S5 and they don't know her well. She could ask her old school but it's the sort of school where your pupil support teacher is too busy with more important social worker/police things to do anything more than a basic reference. Do you think the reference matters? She's is only one grade above the minimum for her course. Wish that UCAS offer calculator worked on Scottish qualifications. I think I'm more bothered than she is. If she doesn't get an offer she feel bad for a day before bouncing back.

We're considering this atm.

DS1 didnt get the grades that he needed for any of his conditionals. He's expecting a clearing offer from GCU, but its not really the course or Uni he wanted. His other option is to go to college and reapply next year after an HNC. But there is a course at an English Uni that is what he wants to study with a foundation year - find out tomorrow if he gets an offer, but he's met the min grades so things are looking good.

I'm very torn. It was me that found this course after he was really despondant after his results. He's keen and the adventure of living away from home (preferred Uni was local) in quite a "cool, edgy" place is appealing to him, but I feel like I might have done a bad thing, and I'm encouraging him to get into squillions of needless debt.

And I'll miss him if he goes so far away.

The reference will be from teachers teaching in fifth and sixth year, mostly about your interest in the subject and attitude to learning so probably not that important unless it contradicts your personal statement!

What was the college option like? Two of DS1s friends have gone down this route - one engineering and one business/law and it's worked out really well. Both have gone directly into later years of degrees at Strathclyde. College was great with internships. I know one of them quite well and she wasn't sure she was doing the right thing as like your son she'd offers from other unis.

Oh, thats good to hear, Strathclyde is his preferred uni.

He has easily met the critereon for the 2 college courses that would give him an HNC that would allow him entry to Strathclyde, but he didnt apply to any colleges and both courses are full so its a wait list.

I'm worried that he's seeing college as a failure, and he wouldn't really put the effort in and drop out, hence why I started looking further afield for uni courses.

Caill I agree with Clerk re the HNC route I also know several young people who went directly into second year of their dream course.
I don’t know much about foundation years and would suggest popping over to the main uni applications thread. The lovely A level mums will keep you right. It’s my understanding that not all foundation years guarantee you a place on the actual degree at the end of it.

mmm....maybe I need to start talking him out of going down south.

We should find out whether he has a place at college by the end of next week, but if he gets the English uni offer it needs to be accepted PDQ because of English clearing. So a worst case scenario is that there is no space on the college courses, but by the time they confirm that, the English Uni place will be gone. I'm pretty certain that its entry to a full degree just with an extra foundation year (so 4 years like a Scottish course), but will wander over to the English Uni applications thread and see what they advise.

Cheers for the info, and glad to hear that people are so positive about HNCs.

What subject area is it Cailleachian? Some of the college courses have direct entry to the uni too so no mucking about.

I have a DD at uni here in Scotland, she’s moved to Glasgow not particularly far but has a rented flat, gets SAAS and works part time. You don’t need to go 100s of miles away, we have excellent Universities here.

Its Chemistry

We didn't really look at college courses before now - there doesn't seem to be many college places available, and they are now all filled, so on the waiting list and dont know if he will get a place or not.

My home ec DD is going to Strathclyde to do biomedical engineering in September. She got in via a college course because, obviously, she didn't have any actual qualifications.
She did a SWAP Access to STEM course at our local college. There were aquite a few youngsters on the course who hadn't met the conditions for uni and were using the access course as an alternative route in.

It might be worth your D's thinking about that, Caille. There were spaces available all year and there were a few folk looking to go to uni for chemical subjects.

Clerk, the reference will be from senior year teachers, so it's really just about interest, aptitude and attitude. I wouldn't worry too much. My state educated D's that went to st Andrew's wasn't the only one from his year who went. And he did go to a crap school with a permanent police presence attached to it, huge drug and violence problems and results at less than half the national average. He and the two girls all had 5As, though, and excellent advanced higher results.
I was, though, recently speaking to the guidance teacher for the senior school, and she was telling me that the kids she helps with their uni applications won't apply to St Andrews because they view it as too posh for them

Obviously, that's my home ed DD, not home ec.

I have children at English universities, and the fees don’t bother them nearly as much as I thought they would. Most of their uni friends are in the same boat so my DC just see it as normal.

He's accepted the English place. He got offered the course at GCU, but wasnt happy or excited about it, even though it came with a much better financial package. I'm going to really, really miss him, its a long way away.

University terms are really short and he'll be back in no time. He could always apply to transfer to a Scottish uni next year.