Refusal to pay tuition fees (2006/07!)

the_edmundator

I graduated from a 5-year medical degree (Universities of Exeter & Plymouth) in July 2008. It was my second undergraduate degree, having previously graduated from a 4-year sandwich degree in IT at the University of Leeds in 2002.

Throughout my medical degree I claimed the maximum amount of student loan available and submitted any and all relevant details for this to support my applications. I turned 25 during my 2nd year and so for my applications for the third year of study onwards I was assessed on my own income (nothing) rather than that of my parents. Because of this, I received the full amount of student loan and all of my tuition fees were paid for me.

I have now, in 2009, received a letter from the University of Plymouth asking me for £1,200 because the student loans company have now decided that they will not pay for the academic year 2006/07. That was the fourth year of the degree, and the second that I would have been assessed on my own income.

I have been given no more details about why they have decided, nearly three years after the event, to change their minds.

My questions are really:

What is the legal viewpoint on this?
Can they decide a few years later not to pay something they previously agreed to pay?
Has anyone else had this happen in the past?
Any advice on the appropriate steps to take?

Thanks for any help (I hope this is posted in the right place).

Edmund

MrsManda

Have you received any correspondance from the SLC? They should inform you if they have decided you are not eligible for support and the reasons why.
If you log on to your account you should be able to see what the SLC has paid in terms of fees to your university. Check how much they have paid to Plymouth already.

the_edmundator

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

You don't achieve independent student status by reaching 25 during your course, it has to be before the course starts. You should've been assessed on your parents'income throughout.

I'm sorry, but this is not true (or was not true for me). Quoting from the guidance document for filling in form PR1:

You are an independent student if you are 25 or over on the first day of the academic year for which you are applying

In any case, I think this is irrelevant. I can't see how it can be acceptable (or legal) for my form to be processed in 2006, and my fees paid for me (I think I technically just borrow the money from Student Loans, and repay it as part of my student loan debt) and for them to now decide that actually they want me to pay it. If there was a problem with my application, surely it is up to them to check this and get things right at the time. There must be a limit on how long they have to correct their mistakes, and 3 years seems like a very long time to me.

the_edmundator

MrsManda wrote: »

Have you received any correspondance from the SLC? They should inform you if they have decided you are not eligible for support and the reasons why.
If you log on to your account you should be able to see what the SLC has paid in terms of fees to your university. Check how much they have paid to Plymouth already.

Will I still have access to an online account (obviously I still have loans, but I'm not a student any more)?

The only correspondence I've had is an invoice from the University of Plymouth with a handwritten note on it that says:

University_of_Plymouth wrote:

The student loan company are now not paying for this academic year 2006/7. If you wish to query this, you will need to contact your Local Authority direct.

This confuses the matter further, because if Student Loans are refusing to pay, why would I contact the LEA?

I think that the problem might be that I already have an honours degree:

You may not be eligible for a Tuition Fee Loan if you already hold a UK honours degree.

But then surely that would be a problem for all years of my degree programme, not just the fourth year.

b3nton

I wouldn't have thought they could do this

atypical

From here: "In general, you’ll only be able to get the finance package for higher education students if you’re doing a first higher education qualification or ‘topping up’ a lower-level higher education qualification."

You were not meant to be eligible for a student loan at all; you are left to fund any other degrees you may choose to do after your first yourself. Still doesn't explain why they are only refusing to fund one year though perhaps you should think yourself lucky they aren't asking for it all back!

Lokolo

Yes I have been watching this thread since it was made and I still don't know how you got funding....

the_edmundator

Lokolo wrote: »

Yes I have been watching this thread since it was made and I still don't know how you got funding....

Probably in the same way that all of the other graduate entrants to my programme (approximately 40% of the cohort) got funding. It's perfectly normal to be eligible for a student loan if you are a student... it's only the fees portion of the loan that can be difficult to get for a second degree.

atypical wrote: »

You were not meant to be eligible for a student loan at all; you are left to fund any other degrees you may choose to do after your first yourself. Still doesn't explain why they are only refusing to fund one year though perhaps you should think yourself lucky they aren't asking for it all back!

I don't know if this is true for 2003, when I first applied. I never concealed my previous study and the SLC already knew about me from the small amount of loan I'd taken during my first degree. I filled in the forms I was sent completely truthfully and received student loan funding, the same as all the other grads.

Lokolo

Yes eligible for student loan if you haven't got a degree before. I still don't see how you've got it if you have an already funded degree beforehand.

MrsManda

the_edmundator wrote: »

Will I still have access to an online account (obviously I still have loans, but I'm not a student any more)?

You should still be able to access your account - at very least you ought to be able to log in to the SLC repayments site.

the_edmundator wrote: »

This confuses the matter further, because if Student Loans are refusing to pay, why would I contact the LEA?

Because the LEA are the ones who will have assessed your claim. The SLC just administers the money.

Taiko

You should only have been eligible for a maintenance loan, with the NHS picking up your fees. Under The Student Support Regulations, you were only eligible for a maintenance loan for the full duration of your course because you held a previous degree. Therefore, there should never have been any eligibility for help with your fees.

Older, he is correct. Turning 25 during the course can qualify you as independent for the following academic year.