5,000 signatures reached
To: (1) Mr Sajid Javid, MP, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (2) Mr Jo Johnson , MP, Minister for Universities and Science (3) Mr Jeremy Hunt, MP, Secretary of State for Health
Student Loan Final Year Reduction Should Be Fair for Healthcare Students
Dear Ministers,
Healthcare students studying at university are subject to the same reduction in the amount available under the student loan for their final year as all other students. This is despite the fact that our final year is not 9 months as most university students but varies between 10 and 11 dependent on the healthcare course you study. This means that during our final few months of studying and training we are not supported by the student loan.
This is inequitable and places additional stresses and financial burden on healthcare students. The student loan should be adjusted to reflect the problems of healthcare professionals completing their training.
Why is this important?
Healthcare students are at university for a longer period per year than an average student, our terms and academic year are substantially longer for all three years of training.
Students completely understand that the government cannot fund them via the student loan once they finish university and therefore will not fund them over the summer after they have taken final exams. However the current standard reduction in the amount available under the student loan of £513 is based on 3 months less funding for students which is not representative for the healthcare student population. For healthcare students this should be a pro-rata reduction, determined by their academic year end date and not the national average.
I am a student nurse and my pro rata reduction should be £134 which equates to 3 weeks. My friend is studying physio and her pro rata reduction should be £268.14 which equates to 6 weeks. The reduction in our loan should be directly comparable to how long we spend at University as the current system is inequitable.
During my final year I will be placed under increased financial pressure. Rather than increasing the stress of the next generation of healthcare students, why not ensure our transition from student to newly qualified healthcare workers is not plagued by how am I going to pay my rent for the final few months?
This rate has been calculated by looking at the full amount a healthcare student (i.e. Nurse, Midwife, OT, SLT, Physio etc.) is entitled to receive per annum in their first and second year from the Student Loan Company (SLC) which is £2324 as a Maintenance Loan. I have then calculated that to be a weekly rate of £44.69. In the final year SLC are offering £1811 which is a reduction of £513 on the previous year. The reduction of £513 equates to a removal of funding for 83 days, about 11 ½ weeks.
