Help With Student Loans - HERE!

pumaj

Hi, can anyone help me? Sorry if something similar has already been posted.

I'm hoping to start a course in the next few weeks, but I am currently paying off a student loan for a couple of courses I did with the OU in 2002, level 1, I failed the level 2 course. This is paid through my wages. As I will be leaving my job to do this course, I wanted to know what assistance, if any, I might be entitled to. I'm getting conflicting messages from SLC, one said I wont get any help with the new course, and another adviser says I should apply but not mention the OU courses. I have 2 problems:

1. if I start the course what will happen to the existing student loan as I will be studying full time and may not be able to get a part-time job?
2. will I actually be eligible for any grants, I'm a single parent. I dont want to apply for a loan I'm not keen on getting into any more debt. the outstanding student loan is £1,000, as both courses were part-time. The college offers a bursary for the fees, but when I contacted them to say what I had originally been told, that I would not qualify for any assistance, they said they had to follow the same criteria so I might not qualify for the bursary, and with no bursary, no course. I have checked that I would be entitled to Tax credits of around £200 pm, and probably housing and council tax benefits.

This is my first post, so if I've done it wrong, apologies.
Any advice would be much appreciated.
Thanks

natznjames

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

But you won't be able to claim JSA if you're doing an Access course and you'll have to live on something! For HE funding, the best place to look is (link) and then come back for further clarification. Don't forget that you can't claim benefit whilst studying.

Don't know if i have misunderstood something here, but i am doing an access to HNC in computing course and claiming JSA. The job centre are aware of this and are fine about it as long as i say i am looking for work.

natznjames

Can i ask, would i be entitled to a student loan if i am doing a part time access course? the college fee was payed for me as i am on JSA. I am struggling to find work where i live, so it's quite difficult to pay for food, electricity etc.

student_advisor

You can only get a student loan if you are on a full-time (undergraduate) higher education course.

An Access course is further education. It is unlikely that you will be able to get any additional funding for your living costs. However, you should go to the Student Services Dept at your College and see if they can give you any help with your course-related costs.

Oldernotwiser

pumaj wrote: »

Hi, can anyone help me? Sorry if something similar has already been posted.

I'm hoping to start a course in the next few weeks, but I am currently paying off a student loan for a couple of courses I did with the OU in 2002, level 1, I failed the level 2 course. This is paid through my wages. As I will be leaving my job to do this course, I wanted to know what assistance, if any, I might be entitled to. I'm getting conflicting messages from SLC, one said I wont get any help with the new course, and another adviser says I should apply but not mention the OU courses. I have 2 problems:

1. if I start the course what will happen to the existing student loan as I will be studying full time and may not be able to get a part-time job?
2. will I actually be eligible for any grants, I'm a single parent. I dont want to apply for a loan I'm not keen on getting into any more debt. the outstanding student loan is £1,000, as both courses were part-time. The college offers a bursary for the fees, but when I contacted them to say what I had originally been told, that I would not qualify for any assistance, they said they had to follow the same criteria so I might not qualify for the bursary, and with no bursary, no course. I have checked that I would be entitled to Tax credits of around £200 pm, and probably housing and council tax benefits.

This is my first post, so if I've done it wrong, apologies.
Any advice would be much appreciated.
Thanks

I'm puzzled by your post as you can't get a Student Loan for OU courses.Did you take out an ordinary bank loan for this?

Oldernotwiser

natznjames wrote: »

Don't know if i have misunderstood something here, but i am doing an access to HNC in computing course and claiming JSA. The job centre are aware of this and are fine about it as long as i say i am looking for work.

I must have assumed that your Access course was full time which would normally mean that you couldn't claim JSA.

Mayday

My son graduated 5 years ago and has spent a large part of that time overseas. He has just received a letter from the Student Loans Co. asking where he is, and for details of his income, wherever he is. (I deal with his mail when he's out of the country.)

Have the regulations changed? As I was under the impression that if not in the UK, he wouldn't be asked for re-payments - that's what happened when he went to Oz for 2 years.

I'm sending him the paperwork tomorrow, but just wondered if there's any advice I need to pass on.

Many thanks.

Lokolo

Mayday wrote: »

My son graduated 5 years ago and has spent a large part of that time overseas. He has just received a letter from the Student Loans Co. asking where he is, and for details of his income, wherever he is. (I deal with his mail when he's out of the country.)

Have the regulations changed? As I was under the impression that if not in the UK, he wouldn't be asked for re-payments - that's what happened when he went to Oz for 2 years.

I'm sending him the paperwork tomorrow, but just wondered if there's any advice I need to pass on.

Many thanks.

No idea where you got that info from but thats completely wrong.

He should have informed them that he is going abroad and that he should be making X payments.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearning/UniversityAndHigherEducation/StudentFinance/RepayingStudentLoansCoursesStartingFrom1998/DG_10034872

Its all there.

http://www.slc.co.uk/thresholds/index.html

Mayday

Thanks for that - have emailed all info; now it's upto him!

cockroach

hi i am presently studing on a distance learning course with ICS (BA HONS - health and social care )
i was wondering is their any help ai can recieve to finance this course
i am presently on benefits esa due to an accident and require on going treatment . this is why i went down this path of learning and i am due to go in hospital again for another hip replacement .
is there any help out their for people like me