Student Loan Support - Advice / Problem

[Sime]

Hey everyone. In my second year of Uni now.

Just wanted to know if anyone knows personally or of someone that has made this mistake and how they corrected it. To start with this is the three types of finacial help avabible (or so Ive learned).

1 - Tuition Fee Loan (Has to be paid back at the end)
2 - Maintiance Loan (Whatever borrowed has to be paid back at the end)
3 - Maintiance Grant (Whatever borrowed doesnt have to be paid back)

So, When applying for my Student Loan Support in the 1st and 2nd year I put that I wanted the Tuition Fee Loan and the Maintiance Loan (As I couldnt see anywhere about the Maintiance Grant on the application so assumed it was that). Anyways I sent it off in the first year, got it all approved from Student Finance Direct and it was all good, or so I thought.

Now in my second and I have revieced a letter in the post basically saying 'This is how much atm you owe to us'. To my supprise it said I owed £6300 for my first year alone instead of just the Tuition Fee of £3000. I rang up and said

"Look there was no information on the applicaition about if you wanted the Grant this is how you go about doing it...So just assumed the Loan was it instead etc etc"

It seems that after ringing her I should have known that to get the Grant you have to send your parents Financal Information to them to see if I was eligable. So now im left waiting for them to reply to see if I can get the Grant for this year and correct my error in someway.

Has anyone ever done anything like this? Do you think theres any chance they will give me the Grant from the first and second year or do you think im left paying £6300 for it? Generally there pretty relaxed about the whole loan thing and always trying to help.

Anyywayyy. Just means ill owe a lot more money after I finish University

 

[r44b]

For me i got a one off grant of £500 that was given to me by the unviersity and not the student loans service.

I got a letter not so long ago aswell telling me how much i owe and it came to the £3000 tutition fee and the £2560 maintaince loan = £5560
That should be correct as both are what you are loaning from the government to pay for your tuition.

Any grant you get should be from the university based off your parents income, so id talk to them.

the grant doesnt directly reduce your loan either, it is money the university gives you to help with your education

 

[Dave]

It seems that after ringing her I should have known that to get the Grant you have to send your parents Financal Information to them to see if I was eligable. So now im left waiting for them to reply to see if I can get the Grant for this year and correct my error in someway.

It does say it on the form under the signatures for sharing your information with third parties. It says something like "to be eligible for a maintenance grant you must attach documentary proof". I don't remember exactly what it said, but if a fool like me can get it right then it can't be too hard

(for the record, I get £1800 maintenance grant, and then £1750 from the University of Sheffield as a bursary. Score! )

 

[Sime]

It does say it on the form under the signatures for sharing your information with third parties. It says something like "to be eligible for a maintenance grant you must attach documentary proof". I don't remember exactly what it said, but if a fool like me can get it right then it can't be too hard

(for the record, I get £1800 maintenance grant, and then £1750 from the University of Sheffield as a bursary. Score! )

I filled in my application online and it doesnt have anything about the Grant anywhere.

 

[Phoebs]

i filled my application form in fine
it had sections would you like to apply for a maintanence loan?
would you like to apply for a maintanance grant?
would you like to apply for a tuition fee loan?

no problems

edit: never assume when it comes to money!

 

[PureAppleJuice]

Get a £2700 maintainance grant and a £500 bursary. Though to get the bursary I need to 'share' the financial stuff with 3rd parties, how do I go about doing this now?

 

[Dave]

I filled in my application online and it doesnt have anything about the Grant anywhere.

Ah, I did mine in paper. The online one doesn't apply to me, as I lived in France prior to the 3 years before university so I'm not technically eligible. I do get one, however, because I have UK nationality, and my parents moved abroad exercising their right to work in the EU

Get a £2700 maintainance grant and a £500 bursary. Though to get the bursary I need to 'share' the financial stuff with 3rd parties, how do I go about doing this now?

If the box is ticked and the signatures are there, it's sent out automatically to your university for assesment if your university offers bursaries based on parental income.