Student Finance or Headless Chickens?

clarksonwayne

No I can’t be too harsh it’s just daunting knowing that if they don’t get it right its bye bye future.

I sent off for my loan and grant nice and early this year, filled the form in just as the year before and on I get with my life thinking everything is sorted.

Then I got my payment timetable through and I notice an absence of grant payments. So I call through, which didn’t take too long, where I’m told I haven’t applied for grants.

Shocked I explain I filled the form as before and wasn’t asked to do anything special. They were unable to tell me what I did wrong and went on to say I now need to send in another loan request form, with my p60 and a cover note explaining that I want to be means tested.

The eager eyed might spot a few mistakes in this request.
One, the fact I have to send in a form I have already sent in with no changes to it. (I had to down load and send this in.)
Two, the inclusion of my p60 when all they are interested in is my unearned income.
Expecting them to get back to me saying, “What are you doing”, I have also sent in my partners P60 as this if any is the important one.

No one there seems to know whats going on there, I wont blame the staff as it's all on such a big scale it must be the training?

ciderwithrosie_2

Same thing happened to my son's finance - we were told several times no extra evidence was needed and the letters and emails we'd got were just generic system generated ones and it was being processed.

Phoned again in August to check status, to be told 'Yes we do need your P60s, we're checking everyones this year' So send those off, check they've got them, 'yes they've been scanned it shouldn't take long now'

Son then gets a letter last week telling him he didn't tick the boxes for tuition fees and maintenance loan no mention of his grant money either. I photocopied the form before sending it and it's clearly ticked to request both. He phoned them to say they'd made a mistake to be told 'oh, just go online now and tick the boxes and we'll sort it out' - no apology, nothing.

Anyway, he phoned me Thursday to say it looks like they've sorted it according to his online account, so it's just a question of waiting for the letter to turn up so Uni can scan it, how long that'll take though is anyone's guess! His course starts up again tomorrow.

I just don't understand how they can say folk aren't ticking the boxes, why would you bother to submit a form then?

hope yours gets sorted soon!

regards CWR

Taiko

If they're doing evidence checks for all 2nd year applications, then they're going against the BIS guidance issued to them at the start of the year.

The not ticking the boxes is something that does happen for a fair few students. Some it's a mistake on their part, some it's a decision. There's no box for a maintenance grant after all, and some students only wish to apply for that.

clarksonwayne

Yes i didn't think there was a box for the grant. I'm just plaing the waiting game now.

Hope your son has things sorted soon Rosie.

WhatItDo

The SLC are useless they are like headless chickens.

If in doubt call your local authority who deal with most student finance or call the citizens advice bureau they give great advice to students.

I had difficulties at uni with the SLC and those are the people who helped me sort any issues out.

liney

Well i'm having a bloody nightmare. 2 weeks plus late and it's a different reason each time I call. I mean, I only applied in April...

divastrop

liney wrote: »

Well i'm having a bloody nightmare. 2 weeks plus late and it's a different reason each time I call. I mean, I only applied in April...

Snap!I applied at the end of March. I was meant to get the first payment on 20th September but SF are claiming the uni hasn't yet confirmed my attendance, and the uni are saying they have. I am starting to think I will never ever get any money

grumpynotoldman

Hi everyone, I was on here last year and have just discovered that not only have SFE registered an application and scanned all the docs' and posted info on the Directgov SFE website saying that there's nothing more to be done, they belatedly( because we asked why our son hadn't had any money or fees paid) asked for evidence to support last years estimated income assessment.
So despite the assertion that they aren't supposed to evidence check for 2nd year applications they clearly are.
So having let the CEO and Finance directors leave with all their benefits and pensions the Professor they appointed to get it right has failed too,
Priceless.
You couldn't make this stuff up.
Bureaucracy that is Kafkaesque in the extreme.:mad:

I can't believe that this is any cheaper than the old Local Authority managed schemes.
That'll be my next FOI request.:(

I have 2 more kids who might be going through this. ARRRGGGHHHHH:mad:

Kess

Similar problems here. I've been trying to support my son's application since Easter, but SF keep asking for more information. After several months of providing various bits of evidence of income for 2008/09 (and providing everything they ask for each time), a letter just arrived today requesting income information for the 2009/10 tax year as well! What? All the instructions on their website, forms etc. says they use 2008/09 information, yet now they've suddenly decided they want 2009/10 info too. :mad:

I suppose there will now be another month's delay until someone processes my response and decides whether or not to request something else...

The costs of SF bureaucracy and (mis)administration must outweigh any grant we get at the end of all this.

Does anyone know if they've got a complaints system as this is just getting ridiculous?

Taiko

If they're asking for 09/10 info, then it's because for the 09/10 academic year you applied for a current income assessment due to an estimated drop in household income. You were supposed to send those documents in April, as it stated on the form you completed.

Kess

Taiko wrote: »

If they're asking for 09/10 info, then it's because for the 09/10 academic year you applied for a current income assessment due to an estimated drop in household income. You were supposed to send those documents in April, as it stated on the form you completed.

No, my application is for the 2010/11 academic year.