Funding a HND without a tuition fee loan

Chris888_2

Hey folks

Had a pretty bad first day back at uni today. A brief account of my situation to start with.

Im a mature student and was originally taking a foundation year leading to a degree. I was a bit daft and failed at my first attempt at the foundation year, re took the year and passed. Both years fully funded by my LEA.

So I rock up at uni this morning to enrol on the first year of the degree to be told the uni has cancelled the program. So after lengthy discussions I chose to take a HND with a view to topping up to a Bsc.

I got in touch with my LEA to inform them of the change as they haven't processed my application yet :rolleyes2 to be told that they will only give me a maintenance loan for the 2 years of the HND leaving me to pay the tuition myself but will fully fund the final top up year.

I have worked out that I can just about afford to pay the tuition fees with the maintenance loan but that will leave me with nothing to pay rent, bills, by food etc. I realise I will have to find a part time job to be able to afford anything but im worried it won't be enough.

I really want to complete the course as I want to do better for myself and my partner and I feel this is my last chance to do something like this.

What Im after, apart from a miracle, is any advice or ideas that will help me afford to do this.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Chris

Lokolo

None of this makes sense to me.

Why have they said they won't pay tuition fees?

welf_man

Hopefully Taiko will be along later, but I think this is right:

For any HE course, as long as it's not an equivalent or lower qualification, you get funding for the normal length of the course, plus a year, minus any years of previous HE study.

So for the original 4-year course you would have been entitled to up to 5 years' funding - which is why you got your second attempt at the Foundation Year fully funded, and would have got the rest of the course funded if it hadn't been cancelled.

Now, you are on a 2-year course, so I think you are entitled to (2+1)-2 years' previous study = 1 year. This would be given for your final year.

When you do the top-up, you'll be on a 3-year course, so your entitlement is (3+1) - 4 years' previous study = 0. I must admit I'm a bit hazy about this bit as it seems to mean you'll have "lost" a year's funding through no fault of your own.

I suggest you go to Student Services or the Students' Union tomorrow and check this out - there is a distinct possibility I'm wrong, as thankfully I don't do much finance advice any more!

There seem to be one key issue with two angles: that you were unable to continue on the original course (was the Foundation Year linked to only that degree?) for reasons outside your control so have been disadvantaged by the University in terms of statutory funding, and that the course was cancelled without you being infomed (are you sure there wasn't any communication? - I'd be very surprised if there was no consultation).

If you came to my SU we'd probably be making a complaint about procedures not being followed and asking for you to be put into the same position financially. You definitely need advice and support tailored to your own institution.

Mel.

Lokolo

oooo I missed the bit with previous studied which is why I was confuzzled!

Yes the above is correct a mundo.

Chris888_2

Thanks for the reply Mel. I was running round in circles a bit trying to work it all out and you have explained it very well.

Im going to see an advisor this afternoon to see what options I have and to clarify if I actually have a case against the uni/slc. We'll see what happens.

Thanks again

Chris

Taiko

My spider sense was tingling...

Above is correct, although it should be that it's maintenance loan only just for the first year of the course. You'd get fees in year two.

At this stage, you do not have a case against the SLC, but it is something you can take up with the university. If you were unable to progress because they terminated the course, something in writing from them would probably help your situation from the financial viewpoint.

stoufer

I'm confused about this tuition fee loan business too!!

I'm actually doing a bit of digging around for my bro who has found himself in a similar situation (I think).

He's done a foundation degree and then last year did the first year of a BA at a different institution. He was recently told he had to resit his first year as his written coursework wasn't up to scratch (he's doing some sort of multimedia course) - the student financial advisers at his institution advised him to appeal and ask for his fees to be waived and told him how to fill out the form etc. The panel met last Tuesday and he received a letter (sent to our parents address and not his!!) yesterday - thankfully Mum was able to type out the letter and email it to him last night.

He was basically told that they couldn't waive the fees (fair enough) and that the SLC would not provide fee support for the repeat year, or for year 2 (even though he has already received a letter from them stating that they would do this for year 2 - the assumption being that he was moving to year 2). The SLC though would provide fee support for year 3.

As he has no money etc the Institution said that he could enquire as to whether he can go part time and perhaps they will waive the fees (he has been trying to find this out all day and is only getting "maybe's" and "possiblies" from people - however he needs to make a decision by the 30th Sept - its the 28th now - or he will incur tuition fees anyway!!!!!

What I don't understand is what is meant by "tuition fee support" -does that mean they will help with the cost if he is (and is) on very low income? Or is that actually referring to the tuition fee loan??

If it is the tuition fee loan they mean, what are the eligibility requirements for the loan - he will have to pay it back anyway so why couldn't he take it out? He is on the verge of quitting as he has no other way of covering fees and basic living expenses and seems a real shame.

btw, he did have a part time job for years which he actually used to pay his tuition fees last year, but the store he worked for went into adminstration and closed in the summer and he is really struggling to find more work and he has applied for anything and everything - so at the moment, he doesn't have a job to help boost his income.

If anyone can help shed any light on the tuition fees loan thing I would really appreciate it!!!

:-)

Oldernotwiser

stoufer wrote: »

If it is the tuition fee loan they mean, what are the eligibility requirements for the loan - he will have to pay it back anyway so why couldn't he take it out? He is on the verge of quitting as he has no other way of covering fees and basic living expenses and seems a real shame.



:-)

Tuition fee support = tuition fee loan.

The money you borrow to pay fees covers only a small proportion of them so the government will have been subsidising someone to the tune of around £7,000 per year. In addition, many people never pay back student loans so no money is recouped because of this.

These are the reasons why the number of years that you can receive funding is limited.

By the way, why did your brother do a Foundation Degree and then start in year 1 of the BA? The point of a Foundation Degree is that it gives entrance into at least year 2 of the full degree course and often even year 3. Even if he hadn't messed up this year he wouldn't have got funding for the whole of a 3 year BA on top of a 2 year Foundation Degree.

vaporate

How many years do the SLC pay anyway, including repeating a year and so on. Is it 3, 4 or 5 years?

Just curious. Thankfully I don't have to worry about that anymore.

Taiko

Duration of the new course plus one year, minus any years of previous study, but not including years of previous study due to compelling personal reasons.