When aged under 25 most students are regarded as financially dependent upon their parents for student money purposes. This means that the student's entitlement to mean tested finance will be assessed on their household income including the income of the parent they live with (and that parents partner if applicable).
Life isn't quite that simple though is it? So there is provision in the Education (Student Support) Regulations 2011 for when a student is aged under 25 but wishes to be assessed as Independent from their parents. These are outlined in Schedule 4 Financial Assessment paragraph 2 of these regulations .
( Please note Education (Student Support) Regulations 2011 have been subject to various amendments which are not included in the version on www.legislation.gov.uk )
This provision for independence includes for example
- Where the parents are dead.
- Some circumstances where the parents can't be found; or that contacting them may put them at risk; or it wouldn't be reasonable to expect them to send funds to UK.
- When a student is or has been married or in a civil partnership.
- When the student has a child or care of a child under 18 years old.
- Some circumstances when the student was in care after the age of 16.
- If the student can demonstrate financial independence for an aggregate of at least 3 years before the course began.
- Then criteria often called being "estranged" - and in the regulations it states.......
In reality a student may be estranged from their parents for many reasons; domestic violence or abuse; issues of acceptance relating to sexual orientation; religious differences; you name it the list could go on and on!!
The problem students face is trying to persuade the funders such as Student Finance England that they are in fact estranged and therefore assessed as independent of their parents.
SFE relies on evidence in order to be satisfied that a student fulfills any of the requirements laid out in the Education (Student Support) Regulations 2011. The same is true for all the other agencies administering the funding for higher education.
If only life came with a documented narrative signed off as "the truth" by some trusted authority that could be submitted as evidence later when needed. Unfortunately in reality the many reasons that result in a student becoming estranged are not reported, documented or even shared with others.
For example how and who do you tell, that you have suffered sexual abuse from a close family member, a parent maybe? Perhaps the trauma of it (now you are older) has only just started to fully impact you. Perhaps you are still struggling to understand what it all means, how you feel, what you want to do. Maybe you have never lived apart from that parent but no longer feel safe in the home. What evidence would you send to a funder to explain this was your circumstance? How would you confirm each year that your situation hasn't changed?
Students who find themselves "estranged" often struggle to prove it. Reaching out to teachers, police, social workers, advisers, religious leaders, family, friends to help can be a very daunting, a barrier. You want to go to university, your funding depends on your parents, your relationship with them is fractured, broken, but the time isn't right for you to share the struggle you are facing with others. What do you do?
Fortunately work has been taking place on behalf of students left vulnerable by the regulations and evidence requirements by the likes of National Union of Students, National Association of Student Money Advisers and over recent years the charity Stand Alone
The Student Loan Company have now implemented application processing changes in support of estranged students applying to Student Finance England and Wales (follow the link for info) which is definitely a step in the right direction.
If you need help and guidance relating to being estranged from your parents then please consider contacting one of the organisations mentioned or the Student Service department at a higher education institution.
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