The law is changing so make sure you check if you need a
TV Licence HERE
Even a room like this without a TV where the student only watches TV on catch up on their phone may require a licence!!
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| Student Bedroom |
Thursday 21 July 2016
Monday 18 July 2016
Levitate Student: Naughty! Retrospective Change Loan Repayment Terms
Remember this.....
Watch, Care, Share and #Shout
Music courtesy of Mizudori Dreamer
Well thanks to Martin Lewis, former student Alex True and all of you who signed the petition and wrote to your MPs - there will be a second chamber parliamentary debate on the issue today at 16:30
You can follow the action live HERE
Wonder how many MPs will be in attendance? We predict a very empty chamber with just a handful standing up for students let down and mis-sold the student loan repayment terms.
No doubt the government representatives will tell us what a great deal students have and changes are needed to keep the funding affordable......blah blah
The real issue is not changes but RETROSPECTIVE changes and the RISK that further changes could be imposed over the 30 year loan term.
Governments have to change how they deliver services - but that does not have to happen retrospectively. Student Funding changes that affect new students only allow them to make an informed choice about whether they consider the funding system a good deal before the embark on study and a lifetime repaying the funds that helped them access the opportunity.
Changes after the fact are mis-selling and letting down students and families who were naive enough to believe the what the MPs and universities were saying.
What other lender could get away with this? Only an unregulated one....
Music courtesy of Mizudori Dreamer
Well thanks to Martin Lewis, former student Alex True and all of you who signed the petition and wrote to your MPs - there will be a second chamber parliamentary debate on the issue today at 16:30
You can follow the action live HERE
Wonder how many MPs will be in attendance? We predict a very empty chamber with just a handful standing up for students let down and mis-sold the student loan repayment terms.
No doubt the government representatives will tell us what a great deal students have and changes are needed to keep the funding affordable......blah blah
The real issue is not changes but RETROSPECTIVE changes and the RISK that further changes could be imposed over the 30 year loan term.
Governments have to change how they deliver services - but that does not have to happen retrospectively. Student Funding changes that affect new students only allow them to make an informed choice about whether they consider the funding system a good deal before the embark on study and a lifetime repaying the funds that helped them access the opportunity.
Changes after the fact are mis-selling and letting down students and families who were naive enough to believe the what the MPs and universities were saying.
What other lender could get away with this? Only an unregulated one....
Friday 1 July 2016
Levitate Student: Brexit & funding for EU students
The EU referendum in the UK saw the public vote to Leave the with an outcome of approx 48% of people voting to Remain versus 52% to Leave.The UK is in political turmoil and the future is very uncertain.
What do we know about the future for EU students.
Jo Johnson MP is the UK Minister of State for UnMPiversities and Science. He is the brother of MP Boris Johnson who led the Leave campaign in the run up to the EU Referendum
Unlike Boris, his brother Jo stated he wanted to Remain in EU and indeed his profile shows he benefited himself from studying in universities in Europe.
Jo Johnson MP offered the following reassurance on Twitter on the 27th June 2016
UK welcomes EU students. Current students and this autumn's applicants will continue to receive student finance for duration of their course
Jo followed this by highlighting a statement from the Student Loans Company .
The statement reassured that students who are EU nationals and their families who are currently on a course in England and those who begin studying from August 2016 who are assessed as eligible to receive grants and/or loans by will be eligible for the duration of their study on that course.
Changes we reported on in March 2016 already mean that any EU national starting a course in England in 2016 needs to have resided in UK for 5 years in order to be eligible for any living cost support. If they have lived in UK for less than 5 years then they are likely to be eligible for tuition fees support only.So if you are from the EU and considering studying in Higher Education then you may want to apply for a place as soon a possible. You may also benefit from understanding how the Clearing Process works in August.
If you have resided in UK for less than five years but have been working and intend to continue to work alongside your course, or you are a family member of an EU worker then you may be entitled to living cost support as a EEA Migrant Worker or Family Member of a Migrant Worker.
Previous study at higher education may limit your access to tuition fee support. If this applies to you then you may want to consider studying part-time where your previous study won't limit your fee support so long as your new course is at a higher level than the qualification you achieved from your previous course.
Anyone from EU starting a course beyond autumn 2016 can not be assured that there will be funding for their course from the UK government.
Wednesday 22 June 2016
Levitate Student - Should I stay or should I go now.......
In the words of The Clash
Hopefully a vote for "Remain" will bring much needed sensible debate of the role the UK plays in the EU. Perhaps the tight vote will keep a sharp focus on public disquiet about how effective our membership is and how satisfied the public are with our investment.
A "Leave" outcome will be surely unsettling for many EU students already living in the UK and those considering a move to study here in the future.
I have supported many EU students over the years. It would be fair to say in my experience the vast majority are hard working, diligent and many balancing working alongside their full-time courses. Of course while they work they are contributing to the local and national economy, contributing to the public purse that assists with their student finance.
In recent years it has been harder and harder for EU students to access their student finance entitlement. Bulgarian and Romanian students were particularly hit hard by a tightening of eligibility rules. Hopefully a remain vote will seek to treat all EU member countries fairly with regard to their Treaty Rights.
On March 1st 2016 Joe Johnson MP (Minister of State for Universities and Science) announced a further significant change to the Education (Student Support) Regulations 2011 changing the residency requirements for EU national students.
Currently an EU national is entitled to apply for
The government cited the increasing pressure on the student finance budget due to the level of EU applicants and their desire to manage the burden on the tax payer as their reason for the change. These changes will impact students starting a new course in academic year 2016/17.
Many EU nationals of course fall into the category of an EEA Migrant Worker. These changes will not affect the entitlement of Migrant Workers and their families according to the statement. Neither will it affect "those who are already studying".
However if the UK vote to "Leave" what will happen then to all our EU students still in the Higher Education system once the mechanism for exit is negotiated?
How will our universities cope with the potential drop in income from the fee funded EU students? Imagine our neighbour students from the Republic of Ireland being regarded as International or Overseas students by the UK.
A vote for "Leave" with throw the HE sector into a whorl and keep money advice services very busy indeed in support of the rights of EU students up and down the country.
Its interesting the polls that indicate reported divide based on age of the voters with a high percentage of 18-24 year olds looking to vote "Remain". Wonder how the 16-17 year olds would have voted given a chance to have a say on their future?
Whatever your viewpoint, do ensure you VOTE. Such an important issue, no matter how muddled the campaigning or divided the stance, deverse a strong public turn out.
Useful information and guidance for oversea and EU students is available through UKCISA
Should I stay or should I go now? (Yo! Me frío o lo soplo?)
If I go there will be trouble (Si me voy, va a haber peligro)
And if I stay it will be double (Si me quedo, es doble).....
It's nearly decision time and according to those in the know, it's seem still all too close to call in the UK EU Referendum.
Hopefully a vote for "Remain" will bring much needed sensible debate of the role the UK plays in the EU. Perhaps the tight vote will keep a sharp focus on public disquiet about how effective our membership is and how satisfied the public are with our investment.
A "Leave" outcome will be surely unsettling for many EU students already living in the UK and those considering a move to study here in the future.
I have supported many EU students over the years. It would be fair to say in my experience the vast majority are hard working, diligent and many balancing working alongside their full-time courses. Of course while they work they are contributing to the local and national economy, contributing to the public purse that assists with their student finance.
In recent years it has been harder and harder for EU students to access their student finance entitlement. Bulgarian and Romanian students were particularly hit hard by a tightening of eligibility rules. Hopefully a remain vote will seek to treat all EU member countries fairly with regard to their Treaty Rights.
On March 1st 2016 Joe Johnson MP (Minister of State for Universities and Science) announced a further significant change to the Education (Student Support) Regulations 2011 changing the residency requirements for EU national students.
Currently an EU national is entitled to apply for
- Tuition Fee Loan only if they come to UK to study in Higher Education
- Tuition Fee Loan and Living Cost Support (currently loans and grants) if they have lived in UK for 3 years prior to the start of their course.
- Tuition Fee and Living Cost Support if they are a EEA Migrant Worker or Family Member of a Migrant Worker
The government cited the increasing pressure on the student finance budget due to the level of EU applicants and their desire to manage the burden on the tax payer as their reason for the change. These changes will impact students starting a new course in academic year 2016/17.
Many EU nationals of course fall into the category of an EEA Migrant Worker. These changes will not affect the entitlement of Migrant Workers and their families according to the statement. Neither will it affect "those who are already studying".
However if the UK vote to "Leave" what will happen then to all our EU students still in the Higher Education system once the mechanism for exit is negotiated?
How will our universities cope with the potential drop in income from the fee funded EU students? Imagine our neighbour students from the Republic of Ireland being regarded as International or Overseas students by the UK.
A vote for "Leave" with throw the HE sector into a whorl and keep money advice services very busy indeed in support of the rights of EU students up and down the country.
Its interesting the polls that indicate reported divide based on age of the voters with a high percentage of 18-24 year olds looking to vote "Remain". Wonder how the 16-17 year olds would have voted given a chance to have a say on their future?
Whatever your viewpoint, do ensure you VOTE. Such an important issue, no matter how muddled the campaigning or divided the stance, deverse a strong public turn out.
Happy Polling Day - see you on the other side :)
Useful information and guidance for oversea and EU students is available through UKCISA
Friday 10 June 2016
Levitate Student: Long Residence
Long Residence - see Changes June 2016
Like to think I may have played a small part following a conversation with and later a message to Baroness Glenys Thornton in 2014
* LTR - Leave to Remain
Like to think I may have played a small part following a conversation with and later a message to Baroness Glenys Thornton in 2014
* LTR - Leave to Remain
Monday 6 June 2016
Levitate Student: Carers Week 2016
As it is Carers Week it seems a good opportunity to highlight a student money issues of concern.
The notion that attending university means they are shirking those responsibilities in likely to be unreasonable in most cases. Carers probably choose courses with fewer contact hours and higher self study in order the balance out their commitments and limit time away from the person who needs them.
Full-time Higher Education student who are carers are in general not entitled to claim Carers Allowance.
This can come as a shock to carers who are attempting to study alongside their caring responsibilities.
Full-time courses are considered to be 21 hours per week for the purpose of this welfare benefit. Many students will know that for some courses, contact time in front of a tutor can be much less than that. However the Department for Work and Pensions also take into account self study periods in order to fulfil the course.
If you are registered on a full-time course then it is likely that you will be regarded as studying at least the 21 hours per week. It may be possible in some circumstances to persuade the DWP that your contact hours are less. For example perhaps if you take fewer modules than the norm for the course due to previous study credits or because you are repeating only part of the course.
In most case though being registered on a full-time course will preclude you from eligibility for Carers Allowance. This seem to be a harsh decision on the part of the government. Carers do an amazing and often unsung service to society and most of us don't realise the positive impact they make to individuals and communities by shouldering those caring responsibilities.
The notion that attending university means they are shirking those responsibilities in likely to be unreasonable in most cases. Carers probably choose courses with fewer contact hours and higher self study in order the balance out their commitments and limit time away from the person who needs them.
It seems narrow visioned to limit the opportunities available to carers this way. Surely a carer who is well educated, personally fulfilled and skilled is a better asset to society should their caring responsibilities come to an end or allow them to seek paid work around their on going commitments.
Levitate Student would like to encourage a change in policy from Jo Johnson MP. Come on Joe - please support the carers who support our society to achieve their aspirations without fear of letting down those they care for or financial detriment.
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