Mature Student, Access to Uni Course Fees

modg

This is my first thread on the forum, so apologies if I've chosen the wrong area or there are similar threads/post already.

I'm enquiring for a friend. She enrolled on an access to Uni course at a local regional college.

After the first couple of weeks she realised the teachers weren't that great and that the course was more geared towards school leavers/college leavers - not mature students although the course was advertised as one for "all" levels of students wishing to progress to University.

She dropped out two weeks after starting the course, so she didn't complete her student loan plan/agreement.

The college are now asking her to pay the full £3.5k for the course, despite only attending 10 days?

Does anyone know if she is liable to pay for all of the fee or should the college be apportioning this under the circumstances?

Thanks in advance guys

agrinnall

Under what circumstances? She chose not to persevere with the course. Did she complain before dropping out that she felt it wasn't suitable for her?

flea72

Yes she will have to pay it. She signed up for the course, if she wasnt happy with the structure she should have discussed it with the college.

However what did she expect regarding teaching? Lecturers talk, you write essays, job done. Whether your 19 or 90, the content is the same. Did she expect them to dumb it down, or was she expecting something more technical?

Tbh in the first 2 weeks of any course, i wouldnt expect to do much more than make friends and buy books/pens. 10days was a bit quick to be so disillusioned you drop out

Mrs_Soup

Did she formally withdraw or just stop turning up. If she just stopped going then they wouldn't know when she left and its reasonable to ask her to pay.

whodathunkit

modg wrote: »

This is my first thread on the forum, so apologies if I've chosen the wrong area or there are similar threads/post already.

I'm enquiring for a friend. She enrolled on an access to Uni course at a local regional college.

After the first couple of weeks she realised the teachers weren't that great and that the course was more geared towards school leavers/college leavers - not mature students although the course was advertised as one for "all" levels of students wishing to progress to University.

She dropped out two weeks after starting the course, so she didn't complete her student loan plan/agreement.

The college are now asking her to pay the full £3.5k for the course, despite only attending 10 days?

Does anyone know if she is liable to pay for all of the fee or should the college be apportioning this under the circumstances?

Thanks in advance guys

Access courses aren't intended for school or college leavers, in fact you can't normally be on one unless you're at least 19.

If she's enrolled and started the course then she's liable for the fees, unless she can come to some kind or arrangement with the college.

Alikay

Most courses have some kind of option to withdraw within the first few weeks if the student doesn't consider it suitable. If your friend reads through the learning agreement she'll have signed at the start of the course, there may be details of the college's charges and refunds policy when the course isn't completed.The key thing usually is communication with staff and and an agreed withdrawal rather than simply stop turning up. I'd be surprised if there aren't any options to leave without full payment being due, as adult education is notorious for early drop-out rates due to family and financial issues.