Hi tw
Your current financial difficulties will not affect your partner being able to obtain a student loan.
Her bursaries will only be taken into account if you declare that you are living as partners rather than flatmates. If your relationship is fairly new, then I would quote the latter and that you share bills on a set percentage basis.
This is more difficult if you have lived as partners for some time - although I would argue that your partner's bursaries are paid to her directly to assist her funding her studies. You will need to consider how you are going to fund your household and living expenses, especially if she is giving up paid employment to return to full-time education.
Regards, Melanie Giles, Insolvency Practitioner for over 20 years.
For further details contact me at
http://www.melaniegiles.com and view my IVA blog at:
http://melaniegiles.blogs.iva.co.uk