Help With Student Loans - HERE!

mayb_2

A wing and a prayer?

nhollandsmith

slcworker wrote: »

Hey, i have alot of Knowledge of how the student loans procedure works. If anyone needs any help, i can advise as much general info.
Obviously i cant divulge into specifics due to Data Protection and the fact that i'd get fired, but anything i can help with, just let me know.

Hello SLC

I am currently paying off my student loan each month. But due to my pay dates at times being different I am not able to pay on time, therefore they keep sending me letters at a cost of £20 which is making the loan much harder to pay and I am not feeling happy with this. Do they have the right to be doing this, particularly with all the troubles at the moment with banks and over charges?

I would really like your advice.

NICK

mayb_2

Sounds like you should send them one of Martin's letters Nick! I think the law says they should not charge you more than the actual cost or something on those lines. Try the main site about bank charges and whether they are lawful. It includes charges for overdrafts.

I thought the money was taken straight out of your pay like tax so how does this happen?

roxalana

Theboys! wrote: »

Hi. Hope you can help me. I had a student loan back in 1996 for approx £2000, but being a silly idiot I defaulted on it (they issued a CCJ), and over the years forgot about it. The Student Loan Company tracked me down last year and I am now paying it back at £30.00 per month. However, I have just been accepted onto a social work degree, and am hoping to apply for a new student loan. My understanding is that my credit rating won't affect my application, but do you know what the SLC stance will be on the outstanding debt with them? Will they refuse outright or will I need to pay off the existing balance before they consider a new loan? Thanks in advance.

I would contact the slc to see what your position is.
If you already have a degree then you won't get more slc funding.
If you only did part of a course you might qualify for partial funding (as your previous study will be taken into account), but if you are in arrears with the slc you cannot get further funding from them until that is resolved - i don't know whether your repayment agreement counts as resolved though so check with them directly.

owly_2

Hello, this looks like a really useful thread.

I am a UK citizen but was born and grew up in the States. In June 2006 my family moved to the UK and I came with them. I did one year of college (fast-track A-levels) and then started a three-year university degree this year. However, because I had not lived in the UK for three years previously, I have to pay international fees. In addition to this I was unable to get any grants or loans for this year as I am considered an international student, which leaves me not very happy financially. I contacted the local council but they were no help either.

Will I ever be able to get a loan? I will have lived in the UK for three years by the time of the final year of my degree, but I will still have to pay international fees then so I am worried I'll still be ineligible. Thanks.

mayb_2

ameliawilliam - there is an old saying that is still relevant today - there is no such thing as a free lunch. If you find an easy way to solve your money problems then it is probably a very expensive one so don't touch it with a barge pole.

There are sensible ways to solve money problems and if you are in difficulties then people like the Citizens Advice Bureau will give free help and advice. There are ways out of the mess without putting yourself into another one.

angelsal

Hi guys,
i am a mature disabled student who is getting nowhere with slc who claim they have overpaid me but my calculations is they have not even given me what i am entitled to. i am a final year student started in 2005, can you let me know slc adviser, what i should be getting. the slc says its the lea, they say its the slc i have even got the mp to write but noone is helping me. now they have taken my dsa payments off me to repay the alleged overpayment! i hav etwo small children and an ill husband and cannot concntrate on my uni work because of all this and no one at uni is willing to fight on my behalf or even say yes it is wrong that they are treating you like this, i have emailed bill rammell, no reply, the ed balls, the pm, david cameron, etc no one replies. it is ia complete nightmare and i need to know what i should be getting. our jount income is £14000, but have not had a tax creidt waward letter ( sorry i have dyslexia too) for two ywars and they the hmrc said it was dsue to an error, but will not tell me when i will get an award letter. meanwhile slc are penalising me becuase i do not have this award letter, and the hnrc are counting the dependents award as if i am getting it and i am not and so being penalised twice. please can you advise me where to get justice from and who to complain to in order to get this sorted and also so they think twice before putting anone else through this nightmare, many thanks to you all xxxx

roxalana

owly wrote: »

Hello, this looks like a really useful thread.

I am a UK citizen but was born and grew up in the States. In June 2006 my family moved to the UK and I came with them. I did one year of college (fast-track A-levels) and then started a three-year university degree this year. However, because I had not lived in the UK for three years previously, I have to pay international fees. In addition to this I was unable to get any grants or loans for this year as I am considered an international student, which leaves me not very happy financially. I contacted the local council but they were no help either.

Will I ever be able to get a loan? I will have lived in the UK for three years by the time of the final year of my degree, but I will still have to pay international fees then so I am worried I'll still be ineligible. Thanks.

Are you asking if you might get funding just for the final year?
This sort of thing gets tricky and I'm not 100% sure, so best check with the people who decide your eligibility. This is your Local Authority - go to the Student finance direct website and put your postcode in 'find my lea'. Hopefully they will have an email address - if not send them a letter.

Outline your circumstances and ask if under the current rules if you might qualify in your final year, based on the information given. However, their response is not a guarantee as when you apply the government may have changed the rules and/or they may need more information to give a proper decision - but it is your best starting point.

roxalana

angelsal wrote: »

Hi guys,
i am a mature disabled student who is getting nowhere with slc who claim they have overpaid me but my calculations is they have not even given me what i am entitled to. i am a final year student started in 2005, can you let me know slc adviser, what i should be getting. the slc says its the lea, they say its the slc i have even got the mp to write but noone is helping me. now they have taken my dsa payments off me to repay the alleged overpayment! i hav etwo small children and an ill husband and cannot concntrate on my uni work because of all this and no one at uni is willing to fight on my behalf or even say yes it is wrong that they are treating you like this, i have emailed bill rammell, no reply, the ed balls, the pm, david cameron, etc no one replies. it is ia complete nightmare and i need to know what i should be getting. our jount income is £14000, but have not had a tax creidt waward letter ( sorry i have dyslexia too) for two ywars and they the hmrc said it was dsue to an error, but will not tell me when i will get an award letter. meanwhile slc are penalising me becuase i do not have this award letter, and the hnrc are counting the dependents award as if i am getting it and i am not and so being penalised twice. please can you advise me where to get justice from and who to complain to in order to get this sorted and also so they think twice before putting anone else through this nightmare, many thanks to you all xxxx

Am I right in saying the following:

You started in the 2005/06 academic year.
You are claiming:
-normal student loan
-Higher education grant
-parents learning allowance
-childcare grant
-Adult dependant grant - I don't know if you are claiming this because I don't know if your husband is still working.
-disabled students allowance?

Do you know what year the overpayment is for?
Has the overpayment arisen because your actual income was higher then you intially estimated (or that your outgoings were lower)?
Or is it because you could not provide evidence of your income because you are waiting for your tax credit notification.

Basically the Local Authority say how much you are entitled to and the SLC pay it to you (and deal with any overpayments). Overpayments usually arise when the estimates given by students are not accurate (this can be due to the student calculating it wrong or due to changes in circumstances e.g. start getting council tax benefit, partner gets pay rise etc).

The Local Authority can only say what you are entitled to based initially on the estimates you provide and then based on the evidence you provide to back up those estimates. If the LA has had to reduce the amount you are eligible for then the SLC will ask for the money back and will deduct the money from your current entitlement (including your disabled student allowance payments).

I would advise you to write or email your contact at the local authority (or the Student Support Manager) asking for a breakdown of the overpayment and the reasons for it, including the dates it relates to. If it is because you need to provide evidence of income/outgoings ask what they need.

You can then see what you need to give them.

Unfortunately, if you have provided the actual information and the overpayment is correct then there is nothing the local authority, SLC or your MP can do as you have received money to which you are not entitled and you have to repay it. In that instance I would go to your University welfare service to see if they can help out.

Phirefly

Hi there

Sorry if this has been covered already in this thread, but I haven't got time to read 20+ pages!

I took out my student loans after august 1998.
I'm about to become self employed with an expected income over the £15000 threshold. My income will vary from week to week.

I understand that my SL repayment will be made after 31 Jan along with my tax payment, but whats the best way of calculating what its likely to be on a month by month basis?

Thanks