100 signatures reached
To: Minister of State for Universities, Science and Cities - The Rt Hon Greg Clark MP
Improve the funding for final year medical students
Please allow the Student Loans Company (SLC) to increase the maintenance loan it offers to older (4th year and above) medical students who are currently struggling to afford the basic necessities of living while trying to complete the last years of the medical school training.
Why is this important?
Currently, medical students who have been at medical school for over 4 years have the NHS Bursary which pays for the tuition fees but they also lose almost all of their support from the Students Loan Company (SLC).
This means that older medical students are in a cruel situation where their maintenance loan can be cut to £600/year. We obviously cannot live off such a small amount.
This is doubly cruel because it occurs late on in our studies when our savings are exhausted, our families are spent and we need to devote too much of our time to study to be able to earn enough from part time work. This situation is unfair and worse it is unnecessarily cruel. This policy needs to be change!
And lastly, medical students will be almost certain to repay any increase in the loan they are given within a few years! It makes almost no economic sense not to lend them some extra money so that they can afford clothes, food, heating and transport for their last year at university.
If the government really wants to increase social mobility into the professions then this is a policy that urgently needs reform.
Some relevant reading
https://jakemat91.wordpress.com/2014/10/05/medical-student-finance-farce-final-year-on-the-bread-line/
http://bma.org.uk/developing-your-career/medical-student/guide-to-medical-student-finance
http://www.nhscareers.nhs.uk/explore-by-career/doctors/training-to-become-a-doctor/undergraduate-medical-education/financial-support-for-students-on-degree-courses-in-medicine/
https://www.gov.uk/nhs-bursaries/overview
http://www.money4medstudents.org/
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/studentservices/financialsupport/studentfunding/fundingforgemstudents.aspx
http://www.medschoolsonline.co.uk/scholarships-grants-loans/
https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers/minister-of-state-universities-and-science-department-for-business-innovation-and-skills
This means that older medical students are in a cruel situation where their maintenance loan can be cut to £600/year. We obviously cannot live off such a small amount.
This is doubly cruel because it occurs late on in our studies when our savings are exhausted, our families are spent and we need to devote too much of our time to study to be able to earn enough from part time work. This situation is unfair and worse it is unnecessarily cruel. This policy needs to be change!
And lastly, medical students will be almost certain to repay any increase in the loan they are given within a few years! It makes almost no economic sense not to lend them some extra money so that they can afford clothes, food, heating and transport for their last year at university.
If the government really wants to increase social mobility into the professions then this is a policy that urgently needs reform.
Some relevant reading
https://jakemat91.wordpress.com/2014/10/05/medical-student-finance-farce-final-year-on-the-bread-line/
http://bma.org.uk/developing-your-career/medical-student/guide-to-medical-student-finance
http://www.nhscareers.nhs.uk/explore-by-career/doctors/training-to-become-a-doctor/undergraduate-medical-education/financial-support-for-students-on-degree-courses-in-medicine/
https://www.gov.uk/nhs-bursaries/overview
http://www.money4medstudents.org/
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/studentservices/financialsupport/studentfunding/fundingforgemstudents.aspx
http://www.medschoolsonline.co.uk/scholarships-grants-loans/
https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers/minister-of-state-universities-and-science-department-for-business-innovation-and-skills
