Leaving uni due to ill health - need to pay back grants?

Applepie_2

Does anyone have any experience of this situation?

I've had to leave uni (Yr3 end semester 1) due to illness (Op next week). I've kept up attendance, submitted work for assessment, kept my advisor informed and provided any requested proof of illness.

I contacted my council 3 days prior to the end of the semester (30 Jan) to advise them not to make any further grant payments due to ill health. Also advised that I had been attending regularly (and would be going in until the end of the week (end of term).

Trying to avoid incurring any further loans/grants, etc, seems to have caused me a problem. The council person I spoke to indicated that because I notified them 3 days prior to the end of term, I would have to repay all grants for that term. I did explain that I was notifying them to prevent future payments and would be attending to the end of term (and filling in forms at uni later that week to remit).

Will I have to repay and does anyone know if I have to repay council tax for the year?

(On a separate note: if you are feeling ill, make sure you see a doctor. I put it off until a break in term. Health is more important than passing a module/maintaning attendance records - will be taking my own advice in future!)

Thanks in advance for any advice.

farso

Hi,

Really sorry to hear about you situation. Is it not possible that you cold deffer your last 6 months to another year when you are feeling better? Could save all this proble and then youd be qualified.

I dont think you should have to pay the councul tax back, Sorry i dont really know the answer to the main question posed.

Good lcuk anyway

Applepie_2

Thanks farso. I'm hoping to start the year again in Sept and told the council education section this. What they are talking about me paying back is the maintenance grant for Sept until Jan. (I'll be paying the student loan back at a later date which is OK.) I'll wait to hear from them. They may change their minds when they receive the paperwork from uni.

MrsManda

I left university due to ill health twice - hoping this is third time lucky
I didn't have to pay back any of my loans or grants. You are given grants and loans to cover each term. As you have attended all of last term, the grants/loans/other financial benefits which were given in those months were used as they were supposed to have been. And so they shouldn't try to claim them back.
- It's one of the reasons you get your loans etc in installments.
Hope you get better soon and are able to return. It is devastating when you've worked so hard and had to drop out. Especially as you've gone so far. Good luck x

mancmum

Urgently contact your university to find out about deferment of assessment and or mitigating circumstances. These mean you might get extra time in which to complete your work, that you may be awarded a first year pass even though you have not been able to complete all the work.

Is your op a one off or could it be classed as part of a disability.

Do contact student support, don't just drop out. They will not want to lose you.

Applepie_2

Thanks mancmum. I've now deferred the final year until Sept. Want to do enjoy the final year and get the best results I can. On mitigating circumstances, at the end of year 2, on the advice of tutors, I applied for this (only applies to illness at the time of assessment at my uni) but was turned down - even with hospital/medical documentation. This put me under more pressure. I didn't want to go through this experience again as it's very tiring/stressful organising the paperwork and trying to continue the course when you're not well.

The op is a one off and then things will be back to normal.

And I've visited student services and they gave me some (more) excellent advice. Not heard anything more from the local education dept re re-paying grants, etc. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Thanks again to everyone for your help.