Student Loans, Grants and burseries

[BlackTwingo-i]

Getting close to the end of my third year at college..
I am studying bench hand joinery and I am about to pass my level 3

I want to go onto further education to gain HNC and/or HND, I can't remember which my tutor said or which you receive from the course

If I do not have a job, and my parents earn less than say £25k I should be entitled to some money to pay for the course and my living

Wondering if anyone else is or has recieved a grant or and I can't get my head round the fact it's basicly free money?

Someone shed some light, I hate people scavenging off benefits but I want some of this!

 

[tommy89]

Getting close to the end of my third year at college..
I am studying bench hand joinery and I am about to pass my level 3

I want to go onto further education to gain HNC and/or HND, I can't remember which my tutor said or which you receive from the course

If I do not have a job, and my parents earn less than say £25k I should be entitled to some money to pay for the course and my living

Wondering if anyone else is or has recieved a grant or and I can't get my head round the fact it's basicly free money?

Someone shed some light, I hate people scavenging off benefits but I want some of this!

When i was doing my degree I received one grant, it was very small but yes, its free money. it comes from the course provider (in my case, the university). they are most often paid either in 3 instalments along side your student loans (i never had those, but my course mates got their bursary payments with their loan).

mine was something relatively small like £270 pounds because I worked to pay tuition and living costs, but if you are doing the normal student thing of getting loans, then the bursary will also increase.

um.. apart from that there isn't much more to know, I had to apply to my uni for it, but if you apply for loans, it should be calculated with those, if not, contact the uni help desk.

hope that helped

 

[weebob]

I got a grant. Bear in mind this was over ten years ago but as my dad was out of work. mum earned about 14k. Was the first on my house hold to go to uni. I got 1k a year from uclan as a bursary which enabled me to get my completely useless degree

Completely free and couldn't of obtained my BSC with plenty of H with out it

 

[BlackTwingo-i]

Okay.. So what is a bursary exactly?
And what difference does having a student loan and not having one have on the grants and bursaries? And am I right in thinking there are four terms in a year?

I feel bad in thinking this, but I really want it to pay off my car and help with insurance haha :/ I'm at college, and I'm in tomorrow, so I'll ask at the help desk if they have a leaflet or someone to speak to

Thanks allot guys!

 

[tommy89]

A bursary is exactly what you think, free money. the Uni give it you if your financial situation requires it (cant remember the cut off point that your parents wages have to be)

I believe that if you are eligible to receive the maximum student loan, you are more than likely to receive a higher bursary amount. I should have been clearer in my first post, sorry. When i went to uni, my parents wages were too high for me to get a decent bursary, i don't believe they were affected by me not taking out a loan... that was just a choice i made due to all ready having a movable job.

For example people on my course were doing this: claiming maximum tuition fee loan of £3200, Maximum maintenance loan of £3200 (ish) and then receiving a bursary of about £1000 a semester (3 semesters at my uni). this meant each year they had a £6400 loan, and a £3000 grant.

so in total they received about £9400.... of which £3000 was "free money" leaving only £6400 to repay.

sorry if that's a bit wordy.

 

[weebob]

Sorry had plenty of drink

Said term ment year. I got my bursary due to my parents situation in that they couldn't help with me going to uni. The bursary being something i dont pay back. I also got the full student loan allowance and left uni with 13/14k of debt inc overdraft etc.

This was ten years ago so I'm sure it all changed, maybe a younger less sexy member can help

 

[DrDrew]

And am I right in thinking there are four terms in a year?

The majority of courses will have two semesters per year, which are split over three terms between September and June/July. However, some courses (mainly a few Masters / postgrad courses) will be split into years with three semesters over four terms. This is mainly just to condense a course, so three semesters can be done from September to September, rather than having the summer off and only finishing the third semester the following January/February

 

[BlackTwingo-i]

Right okay, I'm getting it.. So, can I get a grant and a bursary aswell? Without having a loan? I don't like the sound of debt when I leave college haha I'm being abit greedy, just want as much of the bag of free money as poss to help me through college!

 

[weebob]

Apply for it mate it's there to help people that need it. Worst case is they say no

 

[DrDrew]

You can get supportive grants and bursaries from all sorts of different places & departments too. It's worth having a look around your institutions' information, as some places have extra bursaries you can apply to for students taking x course, or from y background/area

Know of several people who have had extra grants because they took physics, or we're a woman doing a CompSci degree etc. Worth a look to see