Student support refused - help re entitlement

Loche

Hello
my daughter took an HND at 18, lasting two years and received a loan for fees top up and was also eligible for a loan for living support.

She has worked for a number of years and now wishes to return to college. She will be 25, studying for a foundation degree (2 years) with a view to then continuing with the final conversion year to complete a full degree. She has lived alone and suppported herself for 5 years and will have to give up her full time job to study, so will have no income other than what she can earn from part time working.

She has been turned down flat by Haringey Council for eligibility for loans for either tuition fee top up or living expenses. They say that it is the same qualification as she already has, although technically its not. Its not possible to apply for the degree at the start, it is done in two stages.

Any advice on what we could do next?
Thanks

robnye

you could try contacting the college where she will be studying to see if they have come across this scenario before

Lokolo

I don't get it?

She isn't allowed funding because she is allowed course length + 1 year. So foundation degree, 2 years, + 1. Is 3 years.

She has had 2 years of finance already (from the HND) leaving her with 1 year available.

It works backwards so her second year will be able to have loans, her 1st year not.

I am ignoring the fact she is going to do a top up as this will not count until after the foundation.

MrsManda

Lokolo wrote: »

I don't get it?
She isn't allowed funding because she is allowed course length + 1 year. So foundation degree, 2 years, + 1. Is 3 years.
She has had 2 years of finance already (from the HND) leaving her with 1 year available.
It works backwards so her second year will be able to have loans, her 1st year not.

I don't think it works like that - yes, if you do a degree you usually are entitled to an extra year's funding in case you mess up for some reason. However, that's not the situation here. The OP's daughter already has an HND which I presume from the OP, that the HND is classed as an equivalent qualification to the Foundation years and therefore falls under the ELQ rules.

Robnye's suggestion of talking to the college is probably the best place to start.
Is there definately not a way to do the degree as one, or study a similar course which is a full degree?

Lokolo

^^ the above case that I describe is for any higher education course which as I recall, a HND is part of as they are the same level.

welshmoneylover

Why not try The Open University that way your daughter can continue working while studying and may even be eligible for grants?
hth

Oldernotwiser

In many ways an HND is the same as a Foundation Degree. Why doesn't she just top up her HND to a degree with another one or two years' study, rather than starting at the beginning again, which seems a waste of time to me.

Lokolo

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

In many ways an HND is the same as a Foundation Degree. Why doesn't she just top up her HND to a degree with another one or two years' study, rather than starting at the beginning again, which seems a waste of time to me.

^^ I agree with the woman! (hehe)

Loche

Thanks for all your comments. My daughter is going to talk to student services at the college. The reason she is starting again is that it is a different subject.

So it seems that she is entitled to 3 years in total, I guess we'll have to see if theres any chance of getting another year. Its unfortunate that they may be counting a foundation degree as the same as a HND.

Lokolo

Its because they are both higher education courses so both count in terms of student finance.

Oldernotwiser

Loche wrote: »

Thanks for all your comments. My daughter is going to talk to student services at the college. The reason she is starting again is that it is a different subject.

So it seems that she is entitled to 3 years in total, I guess we'll have to see if theres any chance of getting another year. Its unfortunate that they may be counting a foundation degree as the same as a HND.

A Foundation degree is certainly not of a higher standard than an HND and, as Lokolo has said, both are counted as HE.

What is the HND in and what subject is she looking to do as a Foundation Degree.