top up fees and changing course?!?

BigBouncyBall

hi, i'm at the end of my second year at uni and have just got my results not good. I'm really thinking this course isnt right for me and its time to drop it and try something else. Theres another course at my uni that i think would be good but i'm unsure as to where i stand with funding and top up fees.

Does anybody know if i will be subject to the new top up fees if i start a new course in Sept even if i'm already enrolled with the uni?

Does anybody know if i'll be able to get funding from LEA for starting the new course? (I've always paid the full whack of £1200 for the past two years as my parents earn enough)

Any help would be appreciated. I've already had a look through the student finance websites but couldnt find anything. Am i really the first person to have run into this? I feel a bit down at the mo so any reassurance would be good

Savvy_Sue

I think it would be worth phoning your university and asking this question.

I know in the good old days of grants, you could only get the 'normal' number of years, so if you changed course after two years, you might be able to get a grant for the first year but not for any subsequent years. I can't see why the same thing wouldn't apply now as well, to put you off being an eternal student. So even if you get one year at the old fees (and I wouldn't even bank on that!) you probably won't get all the new course at that rate.

But I really would think this through: you've done two years of this course, even if you've had doubts up to now then you've stuck it so far. Many people find the second year to be the hardest. Would gritting your teeth and finishing it be the best course of action, you don't then have to apply for jobs in this field if you don't want to? What if you start the new course, but that also doesn't 'suit' you after one or two years? Is there some reason why your results weren't as good as you'd hoped - stress, underestimating the amount of revision you needed, exam nerves etc? Talking these things through with your tutor might be a good plan.

And good luck!

Bennifred

My son has just done one year and decided to change to another course, back to year one(same Uni). I rang the Finance Office there and was told that because he was already registered at that Uni he would continue to be charged the old rate of tuition fees (1200ish). I also rang the student loan people (local authority, not SLC) and they said there would be no problem with loans for the extra year (I guess it's more income for them!:rolleyes: ). The loans for next year haven't been confirmed since he sent the change of circumstance form in, though, and he'd had confirmation for Yr2 of his original course.
So if you are sure that's the route you want to go down the funding thing should be OK but I'd definitely check first. Would just point out that the total loan debt will be huge - is it worth it?!

melancholly

many years ago the term was an 'academic transfer', which meant that you stayed with whatever was the rule for the year you started at whatever institution you were at. this helped some people switch courses/unis the year that fees were first charged and avoid paying them.
if in doubt, speak to someone in finance - and remember that they often only take calls between 10 and 3!

DrFluffy

After 2 years you lose your entitlement to any form of help, so unless you can transfer (rather than quit and start afresh elsewhere), you might be in a bad position...

With the new system, this is even worse, as there are very few courses that would allow you to even have access to a student loan - I think health care degrees are the only ones that do...