Open University PC Grants- Unrealistic...

**Juice**

I have an NUS card and I'm doing OU stuff at the minute.

Something I might be being a bit dense about or have missed someone mentioning - you can get financial assistance if your income is under a certain level, which means you either get a full or partial discount on the course you're doing. If you were at normal uni, you'd have tuition fees to pay.

Oldernotwiser

Now you've gone for your hat trick!

Reported to abuse.

foreign_correspondent

You can get many laptops which will suffice for OU study needs for under £300... the OU will also give you access to StarOffice (very similar to MS office but free), many course have online forums rather than regular tutorials, (or in addition to fewer tutorials than in previous years), so the costs may not be as high as you think!

dmg24

wontonsoup wrote: »

Thanks, Likewise you grade A moron! Along with all the other insulting losers who act up on forums. FYI YOUR ATTITUDE STINKS lynzpower you stupid cow, get a life.

Why is this person allowed to continue to post? Their first thread on the Benefits board was deleted due to their Abuse also!

princessl84

FYI older - If you study 120plus you are studying full time.

Oldernotwiser

princessl84 wrote: »

FYI older - If you study 120plus you are studying full time.

Not with the OU you're not; as I said earlier you cannot study full time with the OU, even if doing 120 credits. That's why you can't get full time student funding with the OU.

psychopathbabble

I have just read the first page of posts and Wontonsoupt there is NO need to be rude to people who are trying to help.

Initially you didn't state how many courses you were doing at once, so how were we meant to know that you would be doing the same hours per week as the other poster?

I started DD100 in February, I earn approx £16,000 per year and got my course fully funded, £255 study grant and £245 computer grant. I haven't had to buy any books (none are compulsory) and are you seriously telling me you can't afford a few pence to buy a pen? You certainly don't need a printer, or a scanner.

Someone else on my course earns £30,000 a year and still only had to pay approx £200 for DD100.

If you are doing 3 courses at once then that is your choice, but the maximum grant you can get is £750(ish) which covers the cost of doing one course per year which is where the part-time studying bit comes in. It will take me 6 years to do my course but it will be fully funded as I don't have a degree already and can't afford to stop working full time.

If you are studying full time, why did you not go to the brick university where you could have got a lot more funding for your pens (might have even been able to treat yourself to a fountain pen) and freed up the OU funding for someone, who is quite frankly, a bit more grateful for the help??

Also, I went to 2 tutorials and found them completely pointless, but have still managed to pass my course even receiving 89% for one of my assignments. I found other students on facebook and the forum much more helpful and encouraging!

swwchris

Hi everyone. I have been doing some searching plus emailed, and also been trying to phone the OU finance office. So far with no response.
the question is - I have been granted the pc money and course grant, but am not sure what the process is for being paid it. My computer course has started now, and I am getting by using my work pc at lunchtimes and sisters laptop. When can I buy a pc for myself? Do I have to wait until I receive some correspondence from the finance office, or until the money is paid into my acount? I guess it goes without saying that I would like to buy a pc as soon as possible, but dont want to get into the position where I cannot claim my grant.
Any advice appreciated

Mich81

You can buy the PC now if you're able to - they just need proof that you have bought a PC with the computer grant, but this can be sent before or after you've actually received the money. If you need to wait for the money, it usually arrives within the first couple of weeks after the course has started.

**Juice**

I'm sure they just put it in my account and I never heard anything more about it - that was last year though.