OT ish - Student loans

I think it depends how old you are. If you are over 21, it solely goes on you alone and not your parents anyway. Under that, I'm not sure.

Hi, I tried to do that as Im in the same situation as you but I was told that because it was done on my parents income from the start and that i wasnt estranged from them then it would continue being based on their income. The person I spoke to on the phone told me to be careful could they could work in out on parents AND h2b's income though dont know if thats strictly true.

Sorry its not good news

I will be 21 in July, so i will be 21 for the next academic year.

My cousin, who is 23, started uni in 07 and even though she lived at home, it was based solely on her as she was classed as a mature student. Whether that means if you have started after 21, I'm not sure so may need to check that out.

Im 27 and my loan is based on my h2bs income as well as mine, as we live together and have done since i started uni when i was 26. I think they base it on who you live with? Deb x

Its based on whose home you put on the record as your non-university residence. Mine is based on my parents income as my non student home is my parents' house. I think you can change whose income its based on depending on whether you live with your H2B as your main home and income or whether you still class your parents house as your main residence. i think theres also some rule about estrangement from parents too. Maybe phone them up and have a chat with someone. They're really helpful.

Hi, I'm in the same situation and was told last year that I can only do it on our household income, (OH and I) if we were married, or if I had been supporting myself for a period of three years previously. Other than that, you have to do it by your parents wages. I had to do it on my parents wages and it was a nightmare. I even suggested a quickie marriage so we didn't have to involve them!!! xx

☹️ It's not looking good then! I live at uni during the week so i don't have to travel 50 miles each way, but i travel to see him, or he to me every weekend. I spend every holiday at his house and visit my parents every other month! So i don't live with them! It's silly because my parents earn more than the restricted amounts so i get the tinyest loan ever! About £2000 a year less than my housemate, and she also gets a £1000 uni bursary because of her parents income! I would get £3000 a year more for nothing!! Grrr! Oh why didn't i get married at 18 before i went to uni! hehe!

I know. It's a nightmare. I was livid last year when I found out I couldn't do it on OH's wages. I hardly see my parents either and they don't support me financially, so they should have room for people like us in a completely different situation. I know they can't change the rules for everyone, as that would just be ridiculous, but it is an absolute nightmare, especially when you do a course like mine which is 9:00-5:00 everyday, solely coursework based, as I can't get a part-time job and weekends are always spend doing Uni coursework too.

Don't know if this helps, but in year one I did mine non-means tested in the end and got about £4,000ish (I think), hardly anything, but it saves a LOT of hassle.

Also, can you apply for any "inside Uni" funding? If things get really bad, I know my Uni (De Montfort, Leicester) offer a "Hardship Fund" in certain circumstances. I'm not saying that you should rely on this, but as my tutor said to me, (as I am a student with a mortgage too), "If say, you need money for material, (ie, wood) but your boiler blows up, then there is a Hardship Fund which if you have absolutely no money, you can apply for."

And I think the age is 23/25, as I'm 21 and couldn't apply for funding off OH's income.

xxx

What Ooh La La said.

I moved in with H2B in my second year of uni and still had to base everything on my parent's wages as we weren't married, had to do the same even in my third year too. It was because I was still classed as a 'dependent' which seems so backwards to me. I think they should have so many more options for loan applications, it's madness really that they still largely base it on your parents, so many lifestyles are different these days that it's no where near as relevant or applicable any more.

In the end I actually got more based on my parents, as my dad had been made redundant and you don't have to declare any redundancy pay, plus my mum doesn't earn a great deal as she only works part time. If it had been based on OH's income I probably would have got less, but that's neither here nor there I suppose - I've got to pay the vast majority back anyway!

Stupid uni!!! I moved in with my OH the March before i started uni! But because i applied for my original loan before then... Grrr!! I know i would have to pay more back, but it's nice to have the option for more cash! x

I'm at uni too. If you are over 25, are married/civil partnership, or have can prove you have supported yourself for 3 years without parental help you are classed as an independent student. If you live at uni but have been using your parents details for loan in the past, i'm afraid you have to continue doing so. once you are married however you can claim as an independent student using your hubby's salary as info.

I had this same issue when i got engaged at 19. They said nothing would apply until i was married, and boy did it help, my loan now is nearly £9k!

helps though as medicine (current) is my second degree and is 5yrs so i have to pay fees upfront