Access to higher education diploma for OT

eskimo26

Occupational therapy is the degree i want to study.

ok I'm going to gloss over the fact that i am so angry that i feel like punching someone in the throat till they pass out but suffice to say on applying for uni courses yesterday i discovered despite having a degree my qualifications don't cover it.

I will be applying for a access to higher education diploma wasting another year of my life and owing another loan to this miserable sh*tty little Government.

There is a loan the Government give you to cover the course which they 'write-off' if you complete a degree in the field. But they will only pay off on courses that you can get student loans on.

So i'm wondering if that is based on the course or the student because i can't get a second loan. My understanding is its based on the course not the individual student?

Also i tried looking at OU to see if they have a faster way for me to get the qualification but they don't seem to do these diplomas just a confusing open ended 'diploma of higher education' which seems to be different to an access to higher education diploma.

So do i have to wait till next September for the next college intakes?

Thanks for any help i feel so gutted and sad right now.

jobbingmusician

eskimo, you haven't given us enough information to be able to help you.

eskimo26 wrote: »

Occupational therapy is the degree i want to study.....

yesterday i discovered despite having a degree my qualifications don't cover it.

I assume you mean you don't have the prerequisites for the course. What qualifications do you need that you don't have? Because no-one can advise you how to get these qualifications unless you tell us what they are

eskimo26 wrote: »

There is a loan the Government give you to cover the course which they 'write-off' if you complete a degree in the field. But they will only pay off on courses that you can get student loans on.

So i'm wondering if that is based on the course or the student because i can't get a second loan. My understanding is its based on the course not the individual student?

Well, you've said it yourself (which doesn't mean it's right, but it IS what you have said). Eligibility for the loan is based on the course. However, I know that there are some restrictions in funding if you want to do another course at the same level as one that you have already done. I suspect that, since you are not eligible for funding for a second undergraduate degree, you are not eligible for funding to enable you to undertake a second undergrad degree either. This assumes that an OT qualification is classed as an undergrad degree. Sorry!

Thinking laterally - is it possible to qualify as an OT through post-grad study? Because if so, you should be eligible for such a loan. And if OT study IS post-grad, I see no reason why you shouldn't be eligible.

eskimo26 wrote: »

Also i tried looking at OU to see if they have a faster way for me to get the qualification but they don't seem to do these diplomas just a confusing open ended 'diploma of higher education' which seems to be different to an access to higher education diploma.

So do i have to wait till next September for the next college intakes?

Thanks for any help i feel so gutted and sad right now.

again, if you tell us what 'the qualification' is, someone might be able to tell you if there's a quick way to get it.

olgadapolga

The best advice I can give you is to speak to the admissions team at your choice of university. They will very often consider "alternative" qualifications rather than those stated in the course requirements (they did with me, anyway). You may find that they will accept you on the OT course with what you already have.

As for loans, I understood that you could only have student loans for one undergraduate degree; you'd need to speak to the student loan people to clarify this.

If you do need to attain further qualifications before uni then I don't think you'd be able to get anything like a student loan but when my DH did a course at our local college as a (very) mature student he got lots of help from the access to learning/equivalent funds. Maybe have a chat with the team at your local college?

The actual OT course attracts government/NHS funding:

http://www.nhscareers.nhs.uk/explore-by-career/allied-health-professions/financial-support-for-ahp-students/

Hope it all works out for you.

eskimo26

Sorry this is my fault for being to emotive in the opening post.

The qualification i need to bridge the gap is an Access to higher education diploma which is in the post title and mentioned about three times in my post[any with a medical background will do].

Now the degree itself is NHS bursary funded so no issues their but the diploma is loan funded and that's what i have questions about.

https://www.gov.uk/advanced-learning-loans/overview

ok i've just seen this:
"Your course must start between 1 August 2013 and 31 July 2014."
So why has every college website i've visited said you can use this loan when their courses start in September?

This was my other issues:
"Student Finance England will ‘write off’ any outstanding 24+ Advanced Learning Loans you owe for an Access to HE course once you complete a higher education course. This means you don’t have to repay it. The higher education course must be eligible for student finance."


Now my OT course is eligible for student finance so they will write the loan off right? Even though i can't officially get the loan for the degree it doesn't matter as long as the degree course is eligible not me personally.


Not sure if that's clearer but thank you for your help.

olgadapolga

I wouldn't like to make assumptions or second guess their definitions of "eligibility".

You need to ring Student Finance England (0845 300 5090) if you want a definitive answer.

eskimo26

olgadapolga wrote: »

I wouldn't like to make assumptions or second guess their definitions of "eligibility".

You need to ring Student Finance England (0845 300 5090) if you want a definitive answer.

I'll try and e-mail them my experience is anything theses kinds of places tell you over the phone isn't worth the paper its written on, i really want concrete confirmation.

Also i spoke to the admissions tutors for 3 out of my 5 choices and this is the course they said i need. One lady pretty much admitted its a waste of time by telling me its extremely unlikely with my academic achievements that i wouldn't complete the diploma to the level they were looking for.

My local colleges information sheet reads like a primary school manifesto,'Type of assessment: Assignment workDemonstration of ability to show the six C’s
-courage, compassion, commitment, care,
communication and competency.'

Also with distance learning course could i get it done sooner or are the start dates the same as the physical courses?

Thanks.

SJI85

olgadapolga wrote: »

As for loans, I understood that you could only have student loans for one undergraduate degree; you'd need to speak to the student loan people to clarify this.

jobbingmusician wrote: »

Well, you've said it yourself (which doesn't mean it's right, but it IS what you have said). Eligibility for the loan is based on the course. However, I know that there are some restrictions in funding if you want to do another course at the same level as one that you have already done. I suspect that, since you are not eligible for funding for a second undergraduate degree, you are not eligible for funding to enable you to undertake a second undergrad degree either. This assumes that an OT qualification is classed as an undergrad degree. Sorry!

Thinking laterally - is it possible to qualify as an OT through post-grad study? Because if so, you should be eligible for such a loan. And if OT study IS post-grad, I see no reason why you shouldn't be eligible..

Occupational Therapy is one of the courses exempt from the ELQ rules, meaning a person can receive a maintenance loan should they decide to do an undergraduate degree in OT. despite already having a degree in another subject. Same with several other healthcare courses, as well as others such as land based courses (architecture, town planning, surveying).

Though Occupational Therapy is largely NHS funded, so must finance will come from the NHS.

Tuition fee support still isn't provided, even for such exempt degrees, but, as mentioned, Occupational Therapy is NHS funded meaning fees are paid by the NHS.

As far as postgraduate study goes, yes. Some universities offer two year masters. A list of qualifying degrees can be found from the College of Occupational Therapists.

However, there is no established government student finance for postgraduate study, so a loan would not be possible. Like at undergraduate, if a place on an NHS funded postgrad course is achieved there will be no tuition fees, as they're paid by the NHS, and an NHS bursary is available. Further Finance can be found from elsewhere if needed such as a career development loan.

More about postgraduate study below

eskimo26 wrote: »

Occupational therapy is the degree i want to study.

Thanks for any help i feel so gutted and sad right now.

A good step might be to register an account with The Student Room website if you haven't already. They'll have a larger userbase (no disrespect to intended, just this site is small), including official representatives from various universities and funding bodies.

There's nothing stopping you still using this site also, of course.

But I'm confused as to why you can't apply for several of the MSc programmes that are available? Some do require a degree in a relevant subject, but not all. Even those who do, it's all about marketing yourself. I have a Philosophy and Politics degree and have been told I've got a good chance of being accepted by Northumbria providing I emphasise the relevant undergraduate course content I studied (dissertation on the history and stigma of epilepsy, biomedical ethics, history and sociology of medicine...).

But I'm considering doing a PGDip/MA in Disability Studies, and then travel, before training to be an OT anyway. So even if my undergraduate isn't the most relevant degree, the PGDip/MA should help.

Several of the undergraduate courses don't require specific A-levels, either. Off the top of my head I can only think of Northumbria and Liverpool who ask for science A-levels.

Providing you have A-levels or their equivalent, I wager you can easily apply to a couple of undergraduate programmes, and two or three postgraduate programmes, without undertaking further qualifications. Even without the pre-university qualifications, a couple of MScs are possible.

Or is there a particular university you would like to attend?

SJI85

Of course I am ignorant of your pre-university education, and even your degree subject and classification. Would you mind letting me know either here on via PM?

jobbingmusician

Brilliant reply, SJI85, thank you! It's always appreciated when someone brings specialist knowledge to a thread

ruffus21

I am having similar issues. My 1st degree is with the OU which I finished in 3013.


I want to study OT as well but cant get a student loan as I already have a degree.


I am currently an ACCESS student with the 24+ loan system as my degree doesn't have enough of the right modules completed in the 3 year time frame that the Uni's wanted so I'm kicking around for a year at college but it is proving to be useful in honing academic skills that I didn't get with the OU.


If I get a place Sept the tuition fees will be covered but I am struggling on getting finance the rest of it, especially if I don't get a place at the Uni which would allow me to commute on a daily basis.


I am yet to solve my funding problem. Funding placements will be an issue too as I cant guarantee how close to home they will be as some Uni's will send you anywhere in the country.


At the moment it is looking like the expensive option of personal loans from places like banks.


If anybody else has any suggestions on how us "mature over qualified students" can fund our way into gaining further degrees, ideas would be welcome!


Ruffus21

Savvy_Sue

eskimo26 wrote: »

Also with distance learning course could i get it done sooner or are the start dates the same as the physical courses?

Who knows, but how would they manage the practical experience components?