Smith Lawsons (Student Loan) Final Notification debt

Antwan_2

Hello,

I'm new to the site and I hope you can help me out on this one since I am quite worried about a letter I received.

Basically, I finished University in 2010 (One year ago). Since being unemployed I thought that I wasn't meant to pay anything back (I only owe them my tuition fees loan), true?

I'm from Spain, we moved house last summer and since post doesn't get to our new house (well, it does very rarely, it's a house in the mountain haha) I told the SCL to send letters to my oncles home. Because of delayed post, my oncle's being on holidays and such, I got back to the SCL sometimes a little bit late. But I did send them a letter with my Overseas Assesment form letting them know that I was unemployed and taken care of by a third party (my mum), also provided bank statements to back it up. But for whatever reason, they seem to either not have received the information (or ignore it?). My oncles were on Holiday this summer (and so was I) and last week I opened these letters giving me a Final Notification to pay 800 pounds in 8 days (which I don't have). (The ammount started smaller, but kept raising up when a new letter arrived.

My question is: If I'm unemployed, do I have to pay anything back to the SCL?

Also, might that ammount be the SCL refund or is it some kind of penalty payment for delayed post?

I will call them later on today to find out more about it, but I'd like to be prepared for any kind of reply I might get from them. I just worried because I don't have the money to pay to them nor I wish to pay 800 pounds that I don't have to.

Thanks for your help!

poppasmurf_bewdley

I thought foreign students had to pay full tuition fees in this country?

Isn't that what the government tells us to justify letting in hundreds of thousands of students from all over the world into this country? They say the country makes millions from selling them university courses.

How come you have a student loan?

Antwan_2

Hello,

Being a EU citizen allowed me to get a tuition fee loan. I wouldn't be granted a 'Cost of Living Loan' like British students do, but I was able to get a tuition fee loan for my degree (There's no way I'd be able to afford 9k for my degree otherwise).

poppasmurf_bewdley

Antwan wrote: »

Hello,

Being a EU citizen allowed me to get a tuition fee loan. I wouldn't be granted a 'Cost of Living Loan' like British students do, but I was able to get a tuition fee loan for my degree (There's no way I'd be able to afford 9k for my degree otherwise).

No wonder British students have to pay ever increasing fee loans.

Can my kids get a free loan from the Spanish government?

Antwan_2

EU citizens pay their loans back just like the British students do.

Don't really know what you mean by 'free' loan, but you do get help from the government if you are a foreign student in Spain. (University is most of the time 100 times cheaper though).

Not sure what your point is, and I wouldn't mind discussing the matter in another thread.

I would appreciate any form of help towards my issue. Cheers