Still no money from SFE - will son have to leave uni?

orangeslimes

If there is a student advice/support centre that should be his first port of call. He needs to make sure the uni are aware of what is going on, because then they hopefully won't kick him out, and should be able to help find out what the problem is.

Voyager2002

TurnUpForTheBooks wrote: »

You guessed at what sort of c*ck-up had occurred and said "contact your MP" - it might achieve something, but since MPs do not exactly cover themselves in glory when it comes to fielding complaints about civil servants or pseudo-civil servants, it isn't an obviously hopeful solution to the OPs problem, just one of many things that might be considered. I see no clear route or solution is offered by anyone in a full couple of days now save for the suggestion that SFE call centre staff treat students as dirt so a step up from there might be to have a university admin staff sit in on the call. That might unstick this one, or it might not, but no way is the general problem to be left like that.

The most effective instrument for correcting poor behaviour by Civil Servants is the Parliamentary Ombudsman, and the only way to get her involved is by means of referral from an MP. So contacting an MP is likely to be the most effective way of applying pressure to resolve an administrative glitch.

Of course, there is a far broader problem relating to SFE's lack of a public service ethos and its inadequate administrative systems. Political action is the way to address this larger problem, but will take a few years to bear fruit.

V_Chic_Chick

He need to engage with the various university departments to whom he owes money. If they are kept informed, and shown proof that it is not his fault but that of SFE's, then they are far more likely to be sympathetic.

However, he will need to talk to each of the relevant departments (e.g. accommodation, tuition fees) separately as it is unlikely that things are joined up enough to only have to notify one department.

I would suggest that he should also enquire about the Access to Learning Fund at his uni https://www.gov.uk/access-to-learning-fund

thatlemming

He needs to speak to his uni really! I only got my student loan last week, but I let the uni know what was going on and why they weren't getting any money yet etc and they were fine about it. Once they saw evidence of me having been accepted for SF they told me not to worry and to just pay it when I got it.