Changes to OUSBA and Open Uni - do I have any chance?

redbee157

Hi guys, quite new and incredibly worried!

I hope I've posted this in the right place - it is more about the loan side of the course than the course itself.

Last year I was a week late for registering on the Law degree - after finally deciding this is what I wanted to do. I wasn't allowed to do it so had to wait until February this year, I applied to pay for it via their OUSBA account, like a loan, and was accepted, and even started to pay it back as soon as it was opened.

However, on Thursday I received some new materials and a letter saying registration was changing from Feb of every year to October, something I was not told about before.

They've changed it so you have to register and if paying by OUSBA means two loans overlap for about 6 months which is not great when that nearly works out at £500 a month! I looked to see if they were offering it for Oct 2015 and just have to wait a further year but does not look like they are offering OUSBA at all.

The module site have taken me off the path, the graduate entry degree path so I can complete in 4 years rather than 6, but they've now said the degree will not be offered after 2017 at all, and so anyone studying now has to have it completed before then, leaving no choice but to continue in 2014, not offering any chance to start from next year.

None of this has been made aware until last week - and I am really unhappy that I am currently paying for something that I am not going to get in the end! My OUSBA loan is only for this module, one of 4 courses and I understand completely that if it was my choice to drop out that I am liable for paying the loan back regardless. However this is not my choice, and had I had known that these changes were going to make it impossible to complete the degree (you normally have 6 years for it to be a qualifying degree to be accepted onto a solicitors course, not 4 years that I am being told I have to do it in) I would not have signed up.

Do I have any rights about cancelling this loan because of the OUs changes and not giving any notice (had I not looked on the website I would have not been told any other way) and not be liable to pay the remainder? I have only studied Law for 2 months so I'm looking at other people that are a bit more clued up! The way I see it is I am paying for something that I am not receiving in the end. They were fully aware I was intending to complete the Q75 law course and have not made me aware that they are not offering this path anymore and have removed me from it without notifying me.

I have emailed them but as it's Easter obviously won't have a reply until Tuesday, just want to be prepared as to what I can throw at them!

Thank you in advance

tomtontom

Lots of ramble there, I'm not entirely sure what you are asking.

Can you cancel your loan for your first course? No, they have supplied you with the course as agreed.

Is your other concern that you will have two courses overlapping in order to complete in time?

bris

I think his main concern is they will no longer offer the final stages in the timescale he needs to complete it.

Op, it all depends on what was promised before you started the course, did they explicitly tell you they will have the course available for completion or did you just assume?

I think it is probably the latter so in that case you will still be able to complete the part you signed up for so it's all your contracted for at this point.

However just because they cant help you finish the course doesn't mean someone else cant, just move over when you finish this part.