Higher education stories: Samantha from Neath

Samantha Williams, a former sixth-form student at Neath College, is in her first-year of a BSc in Criminology and Psychology at Swansea University. She is a commuter student – living at home with her parents and travelling into university - and says it was only after she found out about the grant support available that she decided to pursue higher education. 

Sam says: 

“Student funding really helped my decision to go to university as without it I wouldn’t have been able to attend and achieve my goal of becoming a psychologist. 
 
“I initially thought ‘university is too expensive, I can’t do it’. Our main source of income at home is my dad’s wage as an engineer. So with one income, we do have to watch our money carefully.  

“I was worried about taking out student loans and panicking about getting into debt, so I didn’t want to go to university unless my heart was set on it. But then my friend at college told me about grants to help cover the cost.  

“When I looked into it, I found out I would be eligible for grant support of almost £7,000 to cover my living costs each year. Without this money, I wouldn’t have been able to catch buses into the university’s Singleton campus as I couldn’t afford the price of a yearly ticket. Also, I wouldn’t have been able to afford the textbooks and study supplies I need. This financial support has made it possible for me to go to university.”

Knowing there was grant support to cover living costs helped Sam choose university and although she’s living at home, she’s soaking up the university experience.