Requesting to be Assessed for Student Funding as Independent Due to Estrangement

Four students sitting on a pebble beach, talking to each other.

Requesting to be Assessed as an Estranged Student

Students are considered estranged if there has been an irreconcilable breakdown in the relationship with their parents and there is no foreseen chance of reconciliation. If you are estranged from your parents, you can request that your funding provider assess you as independent due to your estrangement however, there is no guarantee your request will be accepted.

In order to submit a request to be assessed as independent due to your estrangement, you will need to supply your funding provider with suitable evidence in the form of a letter(s) or report(s) from professionals and people of high standing in the community e.g., police, doctors, social workers etc. which evidences your ongoing estrangement. One primary quality letter or report will be acceptable, but you are welcome to submit a package of evidence, including secondary evidence if you wish.

Depending on the circumstances surrounding your estrangement and the evidence supplied, if your request is accepted, you could be either assessed as independent due to your estrangement for the academic year or the duration of your course.

You cannot request to be assessed as independent due to estrangement because:

Your parents don’t financially support you
You don’t get on with your parents but are still in contact
You don’t live with your parents

If you are assessed as independent due to your estrangement, you will be able to access student funding at the independent rate and will not be means tested based on parental household income.

Acceptable Evidence

Your funding provider will be looking for primary evidence in the form of a letter or report from an independent person with a high standing in the community. A person with a high standing in the community is, for example:

Teacher (school, college, or university lecturers)
Doctor or Nurse
Counsellor
Police
Lawyer or solicitor
Social Worker
Minister of Religion

This person should already be aware of you and your circumstances and are able to verify that you do not have contact with your parents. This person must not be a friend or related to you, even if they are considered a person with a high standing in the community.

The letter should contain information which confirms their relationship to you and the amount of time they have known you. The letter should also include information on the reason(s) for your estrangement, when this occurred and if reconciliation is likely. Their contact details should also be provided so that your funding provider can contact them, if needed. It is important to ensure that any letters and / or reports are provided on headed paper, hand signed and dated.

Although your primary evidence cannot be a letter or report from a family member or friend, your funding provider is likely to accept secondary evidence in the form of letters or reports from a family member or friend.

If your funding provider is Student Finance, you will also need to complete and submit a ‘Confirmation of Estrangement’ form. This form should be available on your online account. If the form isn’t available on your online account, please contact Student Finance directly for a copy.

Whilst you can decide how much information you disclose about your circumstances, the more information you provide the easier it is for your funding provider to assess your request.

If you haven’t told a professional about your circumstances, or if your estrangement is very recent and you are struggling to collate appropriate evidence, don’t worry. You can submit a written letter explaining your circumstances and your difficulties in obtaining appropriate evidence – your funding provider is likely to then be in touch with you to advise of additional evidence that you could provide in order to evidence your circumstances. In some cases, if you are unable to provide the additional evidence, your funding provider may conduct an interview with you over the phone.

It is important that you do not try to obtain or submit any documentation or statements that will compromise your personal safety, health, or wellbeing.

If you have any questions about the process of requesting to be assessed as independent due to your estrangement, you are encouraged to speak to your funding provider in the first instance.

In the event that your request to be assessed as independent due to your estrangement is refused and you would like to appeal this decision, or if you are struggling to obtain the required evidence, Money@CampusLife will be able to provide additional advice and guidance. Money@CampusLife’s contact details can be found here.

The charity Stand Alone also have a Student Finance Guide which contains additional information on requesting to be assessed as independent due to your estrangement, and this can be accessed here.