Hello, new here but saw your post and thought I could shed a little bit of light. I’m a single mum of 2 children and split from ex whilst I was at college doing an evening access course 2 nights a week with the hope of applying to study nursing st university…I didn’t think I’d be able to manage not only was it daunting now being a single parent but also I didn’t think I would manage financially.
Luckily I have a very supportive family who I had to move near to but that helped me out alot with childcare so I didn’t have that as a financial burden . I applied for benefits I was entitled to, I did some research online and used an entitlement calculator. In my area universal credit is rolled out so I had to attend a job centre for the initial assessment but they calculated it all and sorted it out.
I applied and got in to university and use student loans to live on! As a single parent I was entitled to parental learning allowance which is a grant on top of your loan that doesnt need to be paid back and also child dependent grant that doesnt need to be paid back, these are paid in installments along with your student loan. I also gave up my full time job and took on a zero hours contract allowing me to work whenever I choose to so it’s at my own leisure when I have free time from university/placements.
It’s not been easy however it hasnt been a major struggle either – and I’m in my final year now! And I honestly believe that if I can do it anyone can. Itll be the best decision you make and worth it in the end.
Hope this helps 🙂
