Advice needed: Uni withholding Certificate

Adymole

emmaglet wrote: »

I'd try and request the transcript, as previously suggested in this thread.

Good luck

Thank you.

It seems that they can delay examination transcripts for up to 5 months. My new uni's deadline to show them my certificate is 4 months away

In regards to debt settlement - How much would you guys offer on a £2600, 8 year old debt?

dizzyrascal

I think that you have a few problems here.
The original university has every right to withhold the qualification if you have debts to the university (This includes library fines and accommodation fees as well as course fees)
I don't quite understand why you didn't pursue the correct funding bodies at the time. You were entitled to funding and should have got it?

There is a CCJ for the money so you will have to arrange to pay it all off.

Your biggest problem MIGHT be if you do pay and the old university award you the HND.
This is classed as degree level study and so you would only be permitted funding from Student Finance to top up the HND to a full degree.
Student funding does not allow you to study two qualifications at degree level, even if you paid for the previous study (it's the same for people who have had an NHS bursary)
If you accept the qualification you may find the funding bodies apply this rule, at the moment you officially have no previous study and so I think you would be entitled to full funding for a full degree.
You would need to check this with Taiko on the student board as it is quite complicated.

I am presuming that you intend to study a full 3-4 year degree. If you are doing a top-up then ignore my comments above, or are you hoping for some credit transfer?
If you are going to this new university as a full time mature undergraduate then I don't see why they need your HND. You can be accepted on merit as a mature student

Adymole

dizzyrascal wrote: »

I think that you have a few problems here.
The original university has every right to withhold the qualification if you have debts to the university (This includes library fines and accommodation fees as well as course fees)
I don't quite understand why you didn't pursue the correct funding bodies at the time. You were entitled to funding and should have got it?

There is a CCJ for the money so you will have to arrange to pay it all off.

Your biggest problem MIGHT be if you do pay and the old university award you the HND.
This is classed as degree level study and so you would only be permitted funding from Student Finance to top up the HND to a full degree.
Student funding does not allow you to study two qualifications at degree level, even if you paid for the previous study (it's the same for people who have had an NHS bursary)
If you accept the qualification you may find the funding bodies apply this rule, at the moment you officially have no previous study and so I think you would be entitled to full funding for a full degree.
You would need to check this with Taiko on the student board as it is quite complicated.

I am presuming that you intend to study a full 3-4 year degree. If you are doing a top-up then ignore my comments above, or are you hoping for some credit transfer?
If you are going to this new university as a full time mature undergraduate then I don't see why they need your HND. You can be accepted on merit as a mature student

I originally pursued the correct funding but was slapped with the course fee's at the end on the grounds that the uni 'never received my funding forms' (i had sent them in, but two years down the line i had no proof). I don't understand why they let me do the second year if i hadn't 'paid' for the first year?? But they did.

Yeah the new course i want to do is a 3 year degree, it is also a completely different topic to the HND (the HND was Drama and the new course is Sports Science). I think the new Uni only want the HND certificate because it is my highest qualification to date.

Bolded - This is where i'm thinking of just explaining the situation to the new uni and seeing what they say. The only bad thing here is it might taint my 'character'. I don't want them to think i never pay for course fee's or i'm dishonest etc (even though the course fee's would be paid by student finance).

pauletruth

just say that you have a dispute with them and they won't issue it. outwith the hnd do you have the entry requirements.

Owain_Moneysaver

Adymole wrote: »

It seems that they can delay examination transcripts for up to 5 months. My new uni's deadline to show them my certificate is 4 months away

By law they must respond to a Subject Access Request within 40 days. For educational establishments the fee can be up to £50.

This will not be an official transcript - it might be screen dumps from their student record system.

pauletruth

then it would not count. the hnd has not been awarded until fees are paid.

Adymole

pauletruth wrote: »

just say that you have a dispute with them and they won't issue it. outwith the hnd do you have the entry requirements.

This was the response to my original email enquiring about going on the course:

"Hi Adymole,

Thanks for your e-mail. All applications should be made through UCAS and are processed by our admissions department. You certainly sound like you have a suitable profile, and as you will be applying as a mature student we will certainly take into account your vocational experience. Our entry requirement is 260 UCAS pts, which I’m not sure if you’ve achieved or not. If not, certainly highlight your NVQ and vocational experience as this may swing the decision admissions make on whether to accept you on the programme."

I have an NVQ Level 3 in a fairly relevant field to the Sports degree (Personal Training/Sports Conditioning). I mentioned on my UCAS form that i had studied a HND in the past. I originally sent off my NVQ certs but the new uni called me to explain they needed the HND cert.