Doing an open University degree on UC with a disability — Scope | Disability forum
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Doing an open University degree on UC with a disability

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saint_jess1
saint_jess1 Community member Posts: 5 Listener
edited July 2022 in Education
Good Afternoon!

I want to do an art open University degree and I’ve spoken twice on the phone to universal credit to see if it will affect my UC applying for a student loan and I’ve been told yes. I have a disability and entitled to the maintenance loan, even though I told UC I won’t be taking the maintenance loan as I’m working from home and only applying for a student loan. They told me even if I don’t take the maintenance loan I’m still entitled to it so it will affect how much UC I receive. 
This is what frustrates me they don’t know how much of my UC I will lose until I apply for the student loan, they said it’s a gamble. I think this answer incompetent and appalling. I now can not move forward and apply for my long distance degree as I have no idea how much money I will lose each month. I get help with housing and I get extra UC for my disability too and can not afford to lose any money but wanted to do the degree to help my mental health as I spend nearly all my time at home as I’m not well and the degree is something I can do on the days I feel well enough from home with my bed table top. 
Has anyone been in the same situation wanting to do an open University degree with a disability? Any advice? I feel depressed since I found out it’s not worth taking the gamble, it’s not fair on me that someone can not work out the costing for me before apply. Thanks 
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  • calcotti
    calcotti Community member Posts: 10,010 Disability Gamechanger
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    If you are entitled to a maintenance loan you will be treated as receiving it regardless of whether or not you take it out. Broadly the loan will be apportioned over the the month of the year you study and will will be deducted in full so your combined UC and loan income will be the same as your UC without a loan.
    Information I post is for England unless otherwise stated. Rules may be different in other parts of UK.
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  • saint_jess1
    saint_jess1 Community member Posts: 5 Listener
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    Hi Calcotti 

    thank you for replying. Can you explain that a bit more straight forward for me? Do I get the maintenance loan monthly until I complete the degree? I don’t even know how much the maintenance loan is actually. 
    Also I need to know how much of my UC I will lose per month which nobody can seem to tell me. I find this all complicated. 
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  • calcotti
    calcotti Community member Posts: 10,010 Disability Gamechanger
    edited July 2022
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    Are you actually certain that you are eligible for maintenance loan for an Open University course? Not a subject a know about.

    If you are eligible for a loan I can't see how I can explain it differently to what I did before. Future UC plus loan is the same amount overall as existing UC.

    https://www.entitledto.co.uk/help/Student-income-Universal-Credit
    https://www.gov.uk/guidance/universal-credit-and-students

    Just to check - are you getting PIP? If you are not getting disability benefit you are not eligible for Uc while studying (unless you have children or live with a partner who is eligible).

    (A tuition fee loan will not affect UC.)
    Information I post is for England unless otherwise stated. Rules may be different in other parts of UK.
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  • saint_jess1
    saint_jess1 Community member Posts: 5 Listener
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    Yes I receive PIP. It’s easy when you understand, I just need to see it in black and white exactly what I will receive each month. The fact UC can’t tell me how much UC I will lose each month is stopping me applying for the degree. 
    I’m entitled to the maintenance loan due to having a disability even though it’s a distance learning degree. This is why I declined the maintenance loan as I know student loan won’t affect my UC. 
    Is maintenance paid monthly, I have upto 9 years to finish the degree. I don’t want to gamble, need to know exactly how much I will receive monthly with universal credit and how long do I get maintenance loan for, I’m frustrated I can’t seem to the answers I need. Thanks for trying to help me. 
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  • janer1967
    janer1967 Community member Posts: 21,964 Disability Gamechanger
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    .y attempt to explain 

    If you take the maintenance loan you will get for example £100 per month loan,  you'd uc would decrease by £100 per month , so net income works be the same just being paid from different sources 

    If you don't take the loan because you are eligible your uc would still be decreased by the £100 so you would be this amount less than you are now 

    So it makes sense to take the loan which will then have no impact on your income 

    However I'm not an expert buf presume the maintenance loan will have to be repaid at some stage 

    Uc are not advisers they are administrators so often don't know the answer and also it would depend on how much the loan is for so they won't know the answer 

    Hope this makes sense 
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  • saint_jess1
    saint_jess1 Community member Posts: 5 Listener
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    Hi Janer yes this is clearer to me thanks..the student loan is £12,000 but don’t know how much the maintenance loan is as I wasn’t going to initially apply . Is the maintenance loan paid monthly? 
    How long would I get the maintenance loan for, what if the maintenance loan is paid to me in full after 4 years let’s say Hypothetically and I complete the degree in say 7 years. Will I have a 3 year period of being down hypothetically £100 a month?
    Also who can I contact to get concreate answers? Thanks 
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  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Community member Posts: 54,631 Disability Gamechanger
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    When you ring UC you are speaking to a call centre and they won't be able to tell you how much your UC will reduce. How much it reduces by will totally depend on how much your maintenance loan is.
    Student finance is usually paid in 3 installments and will depend on your term dates. When my daughter was a student she received her loan in September, January and April.
    You can try ringing the disabled students helpline and they will be able to advise you further, providing you can get through to them. https://www.disabilityrightsuk.org/how-we-can-help/helplines/disabled-students-helpline

    I would appreciate it if members wouldn't tag me please. I have all notifcations turned off and wouldn't want a member thinking i'm being rude by not replying.
    If i see a question that i know the answer to i will try my best to help.
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  • saint_jess1
    saint_jess1 Community member Posts: 5 Listener
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    Hi Poppy, thanks for replying, as far as I know the student loan goes directly to the college. Thanks for the link, I’ve sent an email explaining so hopefully I can get some real concrete answers. As much as I want to do this open University degree I also can not afford to lose any of my universal credit it’s my lifeline. I just need someone who fully understands it to break it down for me to see if I can move forward and do it. Thanks 
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  • calcotti
    calcotti Community member Posts: 10,010 Disability Gamechanger
    edited July 2022
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    janer1967 said: However I'm not an expert buf presume the maintenance loan will have to be repaid at some stage 
    Student loans (if they are from Student Finance) only become repayable if earnings exceed the relevant earnings threshold.
    Information I post is for England unless otherwise stated. Rules may be different in other parts of UK.
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  • calcotti
    calcotti Community member Posts: 10,010 Disability Gamechanger
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    saint_jess1 said:..as far as I know the student loan goes directly to the college. 
    That sounds like a tuition fee loan which would be pad to the college to cover the fees. A tuition fee loan is different to a maintenance loan. A tuition fee is ignored for UC. A maintenance loan would however be taken into account.


    Information I post is for England unless otherwise stated. Rules may be different in other parts of UK.
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  • janer1967
    janer1967 Community member Posts: 21,964 Disability Gamechanger
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    I'm sorry I don't know anything about the loans was only trying to explain in a different way what the others were saying 

    Use the link poppy provided or maybe the open uni you are looking at can give more info 
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  • calcotti
    calcotti Community member Posts: 10,010 Disability Gamechanger
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    janer1967 said: However I'm not an expert buf presume the maintenance loan will have to be repaid at some stage 
    Student loans only become repayable if earnings exceed the relevant earnings threshold.
    Information I post is for England unless otherwise stated. Rules may be different in other parts of UK.
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  • calcotti
    calcotti Community member Posts: 10,010 Disability Gamechanger
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    saint_jess1 said:
    Hi Poppy, thanks for replying, as far as I know the student loan goes directly to the college. 
    That sounds like a tuition fee loan which would be pad to the college to cover the fees. A tuition fee loan is different to a maintenance loan. A tuition fee is ignored for UC. A maintenance loan would however be taken into account.


    Information I post is for England unless otherwise stated. Rules may be different in other parts of UK.
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  • liz29
    liz29 Scope Member Posts: 6 Listener
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    saint_jess1 said:
    Good Afternoon!

    I want to do an art open University degree and I’ve spoken twice on the phone to universal credit to see if it will affect my UC applying for a student loan and I’ve been told yes. I have a disability and entitled to the maintenance loan, even though I told UC I won’t be taking the maintenance loan as I’m working from home and only applying for a student loan. They told me even if I don’t take the maintenance loan I’m still entitled to it so it will affect how much UC I receive. 
    This is what frustrates me they don’t know how much of my UC I will lose until I apply for the student loan, they said it’s a gamble. I think this answer incompetent and appalling. I now can not move forward and apply for my long distance degree as I have no idea how much money I will lose each month. I get help with housing and I get extra UC for my disability too and can not afford to lose any money but wanted to do the degree to help my mental health as I spend nearly all my time at home as I’m not well and the degree is something I can do on the days I feel well enough from home with my bed table top. 
    Has anyone been in the same situation wanting to do an open University degree with a disability? Any advice? I feel depressed since I found out it’s not worth taking the gamble, it’s not fair on me that someone can not work out the costing for me before apply. Thanks 
    Hi saint_jess1.
    Last year transfered from tax credits to universal credit and told them I was studying. Once all details from student finance were available I notified them the amount of maintenance loan recieved for the year.
    This was the breakdown.
    Approx 3143 maintenance loan for the year.
    The course duration 9 months.
    So 3143 ÷ 9 = 349
    They let you keep 110 each month so total deduction 239 for 9 months.
    I'm not sure how this works if you are continuing studies throughout the year.
    Unfortunately, regardless of weather you accept the maintenance loan you are classed as having recieved it. Very unfair I know. So I would maybe take the loan and this will cover extra deductions.
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  • L_Volunteer
    L_Volunteer Community Volunteer Adviser, Scope Member Posts: 7,978 Disability Gamechanger
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    Another really supportive and insightful thread. Thanks everyone for contributing to the supportive and friendly space.

    If anyone needs any further support please don't hesitate to let us know. We are all here for you  :)
    Community Volunteer Adviser with professional knowledge of education, special educational needs and disabilities and EHCP's. Pronouns: She/her. 

    Please note: if I use the online community outside of its hours of administration, I am doing so in a personal capacity only.
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  • L_Volunteer
    L_Volunteer Community Volunteer Adviser, Scope Member Posts: 7,978 Disability Gamechanger
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    I hope you are able to find some good advice on this forum @CharlesMcIntyre. Is there any advice, in particular, you are hoping to find at the moment? 

    Please don't hesitate to let us know if we can do anything to support you. We are all here for you and listening to you  :)
    Community Volunteer Adviser with professional knowledge of education, special educational needs and disabilities and EHCP's. Pronouns: She/her. 

    Please note: if I use the online community outside of its hours of administration, I am doing so in a personal capacity only.
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  • L_Volunteer
    L_Volunteer Community Volunteer Adviser, Scope Member Posts: 7,978 Disability Gamechanger
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    It sounds really difficult that you were in a similar situation @WarrenL2. Thank you for sharing your experiences with us though.

    I am sure your experiences will be invaluable to anyone experiencing anything similar. As you say though, everyone must decide for themselves because different things work best for different people  :)
    Community Volunteer Adviser with professional knowledge of education, special educational needs and disabilities and EHCP's. Pronouns: She/her. 

    Please note: if I use the online community outside of its hours of administration, I am doing so in a personal capacity only.
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  • Cher_Alumni
    Cher_Alumni Scope alumni Posts: 5,741 Disability Gamechanger
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    @KathyBrooke Hello and welcome! I'm glad you found @saint_jess1 's story helpful. Do you have a similar situation you need support with too?

    Just let us know and we'll endeavour to answer any questions the best we can.
    Online Community Co-ordinator

    Want to tell us about your experience on the online community?  Talk to our chatbot and let us know.

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  • L_Volunteer
    L_Volunteer Community Volunteer Adviser, Scope Member Posts: 7,978 Disability Gamechanger
    edited December 2022
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    Is there any reason, in particular, you are looking for advice at the moment @KathyBrooke? I am just wondering how we might be able to support you best. 

    Thanks for your kindness on this thread and also for encouraging discussion around this topic. It is people like you who make this community the supportive and friendly space it is.

    Take care for now and we will look forward to hopefully hearing from you again soon  :)
    Community Volunteer Adviser with professional knowledge of education, special educational needs and disabilities and EHCP's. Pronouns: She/her. 

    Please note: if I use the online community outside of its hours of administration, I am doing so in a personal capacity only.
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  • L_Volunteer
    L_Volunteer Community Volunteer Adviser, Scope Member Posts: 7,978 Disability Gamechanger
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    I am afraid you seem to have repeated your comment @KathyBrooke. Please don't hesitate to let us know if there's anything we can do to support you  :)
    Community Volunteer Adviser with professional knowledge of education, special educational needs and disabilities and EHCP's. Pronouns: She/her. 

    Please note: if I use the online community outside of its hours of administration, I am doing so in a personal capacity only.
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