Mature student tuition fees

MGSTEWART

Hi, Does anyone out there have a clue what you are supposed to do in these circumstances. Started a degree in 2005 at aged 18, old loans rules applied, completed two years but failed second year exams and was asked to withdraw. I was given a certificate from University and copy of transcript of modules passed.
I have been accepted for a teacher training course, at the mature age of 26, to start in September but have been refused tuition fees. I have been told that by a friend that 'student loans' work on a course duration plus one year maximum for fees. eg 3 year degree plus 1year = 4 year funding. As I have had two years already would get second and third years tuition loan. However I can not get a straight answer from Student Loans and can not afford to take the chance of funding myself for first year to find out after that I cannot get loan for second and third. Also what loans rules would apply to me the original old rules or the current ones.:undecided:undecided

Ed-1

MGSTEWART wrote: »

Hi, Does anyone out there have a clue what you are supposed to do in these circumstances. Started a degree in 2005 at aged 18, old loans rules applied, completed two years but failed second year exams and was asked to withdraw. I was given a certificate from University and copy of transcript of modules passed.
I have been accepted for a teacher training course, at the mature age of 26, to start in September but have been refused tuition fees. I have been told that by a friend that 'student loans' work on a course duration plus one year maximum for fees. eg 3 year degree plus 1year = 4 year funding. As I have had two years already would get second and third years tuition loan. However I can not get a straight answer from Student Loans and can not afford to take the chance of funding myself for first year to find out after that I cannot get loan for second and third. Also what loans rules would apply to me the original old rules or the current ones.:undecided:undecided

Is this a postgraduate ITT (initial teacher training) PGCE course? I assume you mean you have been refused a tuition fee loan from SFE. Regardless of previous study, SFE should allow full funding for a PGCE course as these courses are exempt from previous study rules. So all things equal, you should be eligible for the student support package, including the tuition fee loan.

EDIT: On further inspection of your post, it seems that this teacher training course is an undergraduate degree of 3 years duration, correct? In which case you are right in saying that the previous study rules are that you are allowed funding for the duration of the new course + 1 gift year - any previous study. You have 2 years previous study. If the course is 3 years then you are eligible for funding for 3+1-2=2 academic years. This will be for years 2 and 3. You'd need to fund the first year's tuition fees yourself.

Did you tick that you achieved a qualification when applying for funding? If so then here lies the problem. SFE will interpret this as a second degree and deny you funding under the ELQ (equivalent level qualification) rules. If you tick that you did not recieve a qualification then they will treat the previous study as a 'false start' and should allow you funding.

Any funding for a new course would come under the current regulations (income contingent plan 2 loan, with repayments 9% of income above £21000 and written off if not completely repaid after 30 years have elapsed from April 2016 or the April after the course finishes, whichever is later). The loans from pre-2006 are under the existing regulations: income contingent plan 1 loans, with repayments 9% of income above a lower threshold (currently £16365, raising to £16910 from April 2014) and are written off if not repaid in full when you reach 65.

agrinnall

I don't believe SLC provide any funding for higher degrees. You'll probably need to self fund, either out of savings or by taking out a career development loan, unless you can find anyone willing to sponsor you.

Edited to add: this now looks like a bit of a non sequitor, but it would have made more sense if the person I was replying to, who posted between Ed-1 and me, hadn't taken the hump and deleted their post for some reason!

MGSTEWART

Hi thanks for the reply. It is a full time course and lasts three years. It would be my first degree as I failed the second year first time around. I did tick the box on the form asking if I had gained a qualification, [HNC] even though I was originally on a degree course. the question is really ambiguous and does not specify if the qualification gained was for what i originally started. I do see your point though and I am currently in the queue to SLC to see what I can do to amend this error.Thanks for your help, you have given me more information than SLC have. Sorry for being a while in thanking you.

Taiko

On a technical viewpoint, you have an HE qualification. However, the course you're looking to attend would be at a slightly higher level, and as such it is the previous study formula as described.

Entitled to full support for years two and three, maintenance loan only year one.