student finance: repeated repeats due to illness

MrsManda

I know this is quite a common theme but I can't quite work out where I stand - if it comes to a point where I have to give up I will contact my LEA but thought I'd get some advice now.

Potted history:
Enrolled on 4yr UG masters 2003 aged 19
Repeated first year due to illness, dropped out without completing second first year, again due to illness
Was due to repeat again 2005/06 but took a decision to delay as I was still unwell.

2008 enrolled at a different university aged 24 on a 3yr UG Bsc. Fully funded by SFE due to them accepting that my previous years were negated by extenuating circumstances.
2009 Passed 1st year and continued to 2nd year.
Where I am now:
Missed 5 weeks of 1st term due to hospitalisation and brain surgery
Christmas/New Year had a chest infection and ended up missing first week of term due to hallucinations.
I'm now having difficulties concentrating and sleeping. Going to the GP to try and get some sleeping tablets today. Also keep having really bad headaches and needing to lie in a dark room - not conducive to study.

So... if I fail this year due to illness/being unable to take exams, how likely is it I'd get funding to do the extra year? Does the course length + 1 still count or is it negated by my previous attempts in 2003-5?

In case it matters, I am 26 and I have been married since 2006 so most definately a 'mature' student.

thanks in advance

smalandcute

i dont see why SFE wont count this year as a CPR again so you should get full funding including your plus one. though this is the third time for a CPR they may either suggest you take time out of study to fully recover and come to an agreement on paying money back or they suggest that you use your plus one year. but as i say i dont see why they wont count it as a CPR year as you will have enough evidence for it.

best thing to do is ring SFE once you have spoken to your studnets union, and i would go and see them first thing tommorow morning if i was you so you can get the ball rolling as we know what SFE are like!, your union will know the best plan of action for you but im sure you will get it as CPR.

i hope that has helped you out but def go and see your students union to clear things up xx

Taiko

I'd be agreeing CPR on this one, after seeing medical evidence obviously.

However, with SFE processing your support, you may run into problems, as I think they may look to invoke Paragraph 5(3)(f) of the regulations and determine you unfit to receive support, thereby making you ineligible for anything.

I've some guidance on this in the office that I'll go through when I get there in a few hours. I've only ever used that regulation once.

Taiko

1. LAs/SFE might also decide that a student is unfitted to receive support where he or she has made repeated applications for and received support for a number of different courses without completing those courses. This is most likely to involve loans for living costs and targeted grants: Adult Dependant’s Grant, Childcare Grant, PLA and DSAs, as entitlement for these loans and grants is not subject to previous study rules, but could also involve fee support.
2. If a student has already received support for four courses, LAs/SFE should consider whether that student should be eligible for further support. For example the LA/SFE might decide that a student who has received support for four successive undergraduate courses and withdrawn from each is unfitted to receive support for a fifth course. There may be other similar cases where a student is unfitted for further support. LAs/SFE should deal with each case on its own merits. In the case of fee support, LAs/SFE should consider any additional years of fee support awarded due to compelling personal reasons when making their decision.
I'd hope they wouldn't use that, but I don't know how SFE are working, and to an extent neither do they.

MrsManda

Thanks for your responses. I spoke to my year tutor and I'm going to carry on and hopefully manage to pass this year. If I fail one unit they'll let me continue my studies and retake that unit alongside. If I fail more than that and cannot do resits (if you get over 35% you can take a resit exam in the summer) then I will be allowed to repeat the year - from their point of view.

What's CPR?
Taiko, surely point 2. won't be covered as I haven't applied for funding for 4 different courses? It is my LEA not SFE which is sorting out my funding at the moment, wouldn't it continue to be so?
Don't particularly want to contact anyone officially about it unless it happens because whether they tell me I will get funding for another year or not, I'm still in the same position. But did want to see what the thoughts were on here - definately the best place to get informal advice on these things
I think I'm just going to plow through and hopefully not need to take another year.

Thanks again

Hank89

Sorry to hijack this thread but it shown up on google...

I have been ill since the start of december, was taken to hospital on the second, with severe headaches, they carried out an MRI scan etc

and since then have also suffered with panik attacks, depression etc, the doctor put me on a course of medication in january

I have doctors notes and letters explaining all of this.

As a result of this I messed up my essays mid december and mid january, I just wanted to get them out of the way at the time and just emailed them though turnitin.

However since december, i have barely been in uni due to this illness, missed lots of classes, and have therefore decided to ask to repeat this year again, before i have chance to mess up my dissertation and end of year exams that are due in a few months.....
I

I have arranged a meeting with the head of my department to discuss repeating the year due to these "mitigating circumstances", what do you think would be the result of this.

Will they let me repeat all modules again next year since my illness started on the first of december without capping my marks ( I have the hospital note,evidence supporting this), or will they say I have should not have sent the essays in and applied for mitigating circumstances at the time..... and they will just let me repeat the dissertation, and end of year exams next year, but will cap the essays i failed in december and January......

MrsManda

Hank89 wrote: »

Will they let me repeat all modules again next year since my illness started on the first of december without capping my marks ( I have the hospital note,evidence supporting this), or will they say I have should not have sent the essays in and applied for mitigating circumstances at the time..... and they will just let me repeat the dissertation, and end of year exams next year, but will cap the essays i failed in december and January......

Have you been keeping your personal tutor/head of year informed of your illness?
I'd have thought they'd give you the option of repeating the year or carrying on and filing for mitigating circumstances for all of your marks. At least, those are the options I've been given. As you are having panic attacks and your problems are still ongoing it'd be probably better for you to stop now and repeat the year. They shouldn't cap your marks if they accept you failed the essays due to illness and you've got plenty of evidence so getting them to accept it shouln't be a problem.

Though the offer to repeat the year may be on the condition you have sorted out your health first - ie. if you are still having health problems in September, you put it off for another year. Do the docs know what's wrong?

HTH and you feel better soon

Hank89

MrsManda wrote: »

Have you been keeping your personal tutor/head of year informed of your illness?
I'd have thought they'd give you the option of repeating the year or carrying on and filing for mitigating circumstances for all of your marks. At least, those are the options I've been given. As you are having panic attacks and your problems are still ongoing it'd be probably better for you to stop now and repeat the year. They shouldn't cap your marks if they accept you failed the essays due to illness and you've got plenty of evidence so getting them to accept it shouln't be a problem.

Though the offer to repeat the year may be on the condition you have sorted out your health first - ie. if you are still having health problems in September, you put it off for another year. Do the docs know what's wrong?

HTH and you feel better soon

Thats kind of the problem I suppose, I didn't send a note in over the december and January months, detailing my illness and giving the uni doctors notes.

I did ring from the hospital at the start of december saying how bad my headaches were (I thought I had a brain tumour) so you can guess what I thought of filling out absenty forms for university, and I have a letter from a nurse saying she also rang on my behalf.

Oh and the headaches for want of a better term, it feels more like a build up of pressure in your head, like being at high altitude on a plane, started when I was on the train to Uni.

So when I felt well enough to go back to uni at the end of jan, start of febuary I went on the train and had a huge panick attack, literally had to get off and go home, pretty pathetic really.

And I have the meeting on monday with the head of the department so I will be basically saying that I want/need to have a break from Uni now, and forget this year happened, and start back in september, I will require a note from my doctor saying I am fit to resume I imagine.

My main concern was, whether the uni will say I shouldn't have submitted the essays in december and january, and I should have filled out a form for mitigating circumstances earlier, but my head was all over the place over december and January.

Oh and I am starting to feel better now, I don't think the doctors really knew what was wrong with me, they did all the blood tests, physical examinations, MRI scans and the results were inconclusive, so they just put me on a course of anti depressents and headache suppressants, one seemed to think It might have been a small bleed in my brain which wouldn't show upon the scan, that was very reassuring...

Anyway, thanks for your quick response and concern

MrsManda

Hank89 wrote: »

Thats kind of the problem I suppose, I didn't send a note in over the december and January months, detailing my illness and giving the uni doctors notes.

That may count against you initially but the fact that you were in hospital, having neurological investigation should make your uni realise that you were in a bit of a mess and not thinking straight. Therefore providing you have medical notes covering this period I think it's unlikely they'll cap your marks.

Hank89 wrote: »

Oh and the headaches for want of a better term, it feels more like a build up of pressure in your head, like being at high altitude on a plane, started when I was on the train to Uni.So when I felt well enough to go back to uni at the end of jan, start of febuary I went on the train and had a huge panick attack, literally had to get off and go home, pretty pathetic really.

This is not pathetic. The main symptom when my illness is kicking off is a pressure headache. I get an increase in the pressure inside my head which causes incredible pain that I just can't fight through to continue whatever I'm doing. I don't have panic attacks when it starts but that's mainly because I'm so used to it that I know how to deal with it but I know I can't cope around people when I have them.

Hank89 wrote: »

Oh and I am starting to feel better now, I don't think the doctors really knew what was wrong with me, they did all the blood tests, physical examinations, MRI scans and the results were inconclusive, so they just put me on a course of anti depressents and headache suppressants

I'm glad you're feeling better. Do you have a plan to have regular reviews with the hospital or your GP whilst you're taking the medications? If not, I would suggest it simply so that your progress can be monitored as you probably don't want to be taking headache suppressants on a long term basis if you don't need to.

Don't worry about Monday, providing you have the medical evidence you should be fine *hugs*

Hank89

I just got an email from the head of the department saying that my request for a repeat year has been approved, and all the documentation will be coming through the post soon.

He told me on Monday that it was basically assured that they would let me repeat, given the medical documents I provided and past year results, but I was still a bit anxious.

Can at least focus on next year now, and not have the added stress of uni for the moment.

metalgal

If you want to get a degree have you looked into doing one with the open university? You do your degree in modules as opposed to year. If you and your husband earn less than i think it £18000 pa then it will be free, and you get a grant per course you do, a 30 point course gets about £260. It does not effect benefit entitlement. Plus you may be entitled to disabled students allowance to help with specialist equipment.

I think the OU is an option you should really consider. Its also part time so it would mean less pressure, you can work around periods of illness and if you do a course, you are credited for it. It won't matter if you then take time off you will still have that credit.

My sister has a brain condition and was working full time in a high pressure job, her health was deteriorating drastically, she changed to a part time low pressure job and her health has improved immensely.