Totally confused please help!

[applied]

I have been reading the financial threads on this forum and am totally confused over what i am entitled to. I will be starting graduate (4yr) medicine in sept. Having not firmly accepted my offer yet, I have not received loan info etc...
I had previously been told by current 4yr students that I can get my tuition fees paid for me in years 2,3 and 4 providing I am over 25. I thought this was non-means tested and available for everyone. I will be 23 in october this year and so won't be able to apply for that until year 3 I am assuming.
HOWEVER just read age has been discarded. Is the NHS payment of tuition fees the same as the NHS bursary? I am sorry if that is a ridiculous question. I thought I was getting to grips with it all am am now just utterly confused.
Also very worried as I think i may not be able to get much help as my dad in a GP. However, he is a single earner, supporting my brother who is now in his 5th year of a medical degree and my sister who is still in full time education.
I have started applying to alternative sources of funding (foundation trusts etc...) but realistically do not think I will get help that way.
I am worried that I am leaving the big things (NHS bursaries/interest-free loans) too late. Where should I start?
Any advice really appreciated. Thank you!

[amy2705598]

Hi,

I think I've sort of got it sussed but if I'm wrong I'm happy to be told!

Tuition fees:
Year 1 we need to pay £3000 up front
Year 2 - 4 is all paid for us, non-means tested

Student loan:
Student loan for fees - non available any year
Student loan for maintenance - Year 1: £4500 (25% means tested)
Student loan for maintenance - Year 2 - 4: £2250 (non-means tested)

NHS Bursary
Year 1: None
Year 2 - 4: £2600 (100% means tested)


The student loan and NHS bursary I think are increased for each additional week your course is longer than the standard. These figures may be ever so slightly out but are pretty much correct. The age criteria for being classed as independent has been scrapped for the NHS bursary, but I'm pretty sure it hasn't for the Student Loans. Hope this helps a bit

[pharmw]

Hi

Thats how I got it broken down. I am a grad applicant and have firmly accepted my offer to start this Oct (07).

I just spoke to a very unhelpful person at student finance direct who informed me that graduates cannot get a loan full stop!!! I know this is true for tuition fees but I am pretty sure we can get a maintenance loan.

I am gonna contact my LEA who I hope will be more helpful.

[sefkhet]

If grads can't get a maintenance loan, I might as well curl up in a ball and die now!

I'm sure that's wrong. The fact that we were still able to get a maintenance loan was one of the things that was underlined very clearly when we all kicked off about the fact that we weren't getting tuition fee loans. Good luck with your LEA -- in my experience, they tend to know a bit more about what's going on than Student Finance Direct. Not that that usually takes much.

[applied]

Thank you so much! That has made it all clear. I will get hold of my LEA tomorrow.

[pipedreamer]

Originally Posted by amy2705598

The student loan and NHS bursary I think are increased for each additional week your course is longer than the standard.

It works out at roughly £77pw for each week you do over 30 weeks. If your course is 45 weeks or more then they count it as being 52 weeks i.e. you get 22 weeks extra allowance which makes for quite a hefty top up

[auden]

My loan this year (when I also get bursary) is just over 3k - I get the london weighting and the full 'extra weeks'.

[midnite-oil]

Do you know what the exact percentage of the Loan while on a bursary is then please Libs?

My full loan (34 weeks in London) is £6562 this year. If you were getting a full loan for 52 weeks (2nd year is 45 and thus counted as 52 as I understand it) it would be £8326, and the 'half loan' would be £4150 ish.

[Med Head]

Hi
It's not actually half loan, it is the reduced rate loan which is non means tested and the same for everyone regardless of how many weeks your course is. But there is a London rate for the loan. Extra weeks aren't available because that is means-tested, and the reduced rate loan is non-means tested.

The bursary is means tested. So depending on income, you may not get it. If you are single and 25+ you should get the full amount. There is extra help available in certain circumstances. Older students (I think over 26) get more. Also if you have children or a disability, there is extra help available.

Try www.nhsstudentgrants.co.uk
All the information on the bursary (and amounts) is on there.