Not allowed Student Loan... ever.... :(

NovaBlack_2

hi there.


I recently finished a law degree at uni.

During the 3 years i was there i decided to work my bum off and supported myself the whole time i was there working all the hours i could get. it was really tough but i managed to fund my way through uni. (note this was on the old approx £1200 a year tuition fees). I didnt get a student loan the whole time i was there. the only thing i did get in year 2 and 3 was a tuition fee reduction (based on my parents incom as i was living at home). however this only came to approximately £50 saved off fees a year for year 2 and 3.

Having finished the degree i took a year out to decide what to do with my future. in order to carry on with the law i would need to do another course for 2 more years that would cost approximately £15k followed by a year working as junior before i was finally qualified.

However i knew that law wasnt really for me. i hadnt enjoyed my final year atall. considering it cost 15k and 3 more years to become qualified, i decided that i would rather do a different degree, as it would take up the same amount of time, and even with the 'top up fees' would cost £9000 in tuition fees. this would save me £6000 and allow me to do something i would enjoy. (during uni i had discovered a real pasion for software engineering).

so i applied for the new course, (at the same uni strangely!) and got on to it no problems. i had decided from the outset to stay at home this time round to save money.

Considering i never got a student loan the first time round i decided to take the plunge n speak to the uni/LEA about getting a loan. only to be told im NOT entitled to one! different people and my student union all told me different things and i had to go back and forth for a while, but in the end this was the answer i got. so i just stomached it and went to uni anyway. Ive just finished my first year and so far my marks are very high and i came out with a first class result this year. well chuffed!!

however i am REALLY struggling for cash! Does anyone have any idea how i could get funding??

it seems bizaare and unfair to me that im being penalised for working myself thru uni the first time around. i even said to the people involved 'so would it have been ok if id got the loan the first time round and kept it in an account till now' and they said yes. but applying now im not entitled, because ive had the chance for one or something. hmm yeah a 'chance' of a student loan wont pay my bills...

just interested on what other peoples opinions are on this. i mean my parents and family have all paid taxes their whole lives, as have i during the 5 years i wasnt a student. just find all this a little stupid and very unfair. its basically taught me that in future i should never work hard and support myself, and instead grab any state funding thats available. and that really doesnt fit right with me.

student_advisor

There are charities that support students who are not entitled to the normal funding, try the two organisations below, but also contact your student advisor for welfare/funding who should be able to guide you through the help available and how to apply.


http://www.egas-online.org.uk/fwa/trustsearch.htm

and

FunderFinder produces two useful computer packages called FunderFinder PIN (People in Need) and FunderFinder GIN (Groups in Need). These list charities that may be able to award a grant to a person or group in need, or to a person who needs funding for a course. The list is available from 500 sites throughout the UK including some local authorities, libraries, citizens advice bureaus, social services and some local branches of the National Association of Councils for Voluntary Service. Contact FunderFinder for details of organisations close to you that have the packages.

FunderFinder Ltd
65 Raglan Road
Leeds
LS2 9DZ
Phone: 0113 243 3008 (voice)
Fax: 0113 243 2966
Email: [EMAIL="info@funderfinder.org.uk"]info@funderfinder.org.uk[/EMAIL]
Website: www.funderfinder.org.uk

Torby

is this not just the norm....you only get help/loans/funding for your first degree...up to you if you avail of that....now you are a postgrad....you have no help unless you can find a "funded" post grad course...research grants etc....

surely if you have a Law degree in your final year you should have approached Law firms for a training contract...if you had good results it shouldn't have been a problem....then its just the LPC for 1 year (and the Law firm pays for that surely?)...thats you on the earning ladder in a short space of time.

The system isn't fair, I agree......but meantime all you can do is work within that system....

debt, debt and more debt I'm afraid....but congratulations on what you've achieved so far!

NovaBlack_2

yeah but the problem is im doing another undergraduate course as an alternative to postgrad study in law

basically no way i could afford the money needed to do the further law training, (couldnt find training contract for a year.. SO COMPETITIVE ITS CRAZY! theres roughly 10 students per 1 place its mad) plus by third year i REALLY didnt enjoy it atall.

hmm i guess i know its my 'fault' as such because i dont 'have' to go another undergrad degree. so its my choice... hmm...

just basically leaves a sour taste in my mouth that if id got help first time n used that whilst saving the cash from working id have the money i needed now.... but by trying to support myself and not rely on the state im effectively in a worse off position!

hmm i can honestly see both sides of the argument tho.. i guess i already have a degree. hmm. oh well guess ill be leaving this time with a mound of debt lol.

just think itd be fairer if each person was entitled (based on usual assessment) to one student loan per lifetime. i mean its not like im saying i want two loans.. i mean ive never had even one.

cheers for the congrats!

dmg24

Have you escalated your query on a student loan at the LEA? I funded my first degree (Law too!), but have just enquired about studying for another undergraduate degree, and was told I could have full funding. However, I did need to escalate this, as it seems a common misconception that no funding is available. The only difference between our situations is that you had the fee reduction - seems very petty to deny you proper funding when you have only had £100 previously.

You are so right about training contracts, they are massively competitive. Even if you had got a place, many do not offer LPC funding, so you've still got to struggle for another year (and create massive debt!). I got offered a training contract, at the other side of the country, with no LPC funding, and at Law Society minimum wage. There was no way I could do it!

Have you looked into the Access to Learning Fund at your uni? I have some special requirements, and have received funding from the Fund. It is also there for people that have a shortfall between their income and outgoings.

CLAPTON

Whilst I have considerable sympathy with your personal situation you have to consider that the true cost of a degree is not the 1,200 per year you paid in your first degree or indeed the 3,000 you are paying now but is 6k or more.
So you could take the view that tax payers are being very generous it allowing you to do two subsidised uni degrees... especially those that haven't had that opportunity themselves.

However, I guess we all ignore the benefits we receive and only remember the disadvantages.

Anyway I hope the course and your subsequent career go well.

dmg24

However, I guess we all ignore the benefits we receive and only remember the disadvantages.

That is unreasonably harsh.

I am sure that the OP is aware of the subsidies that they received, however their counterparts at university received a lot more, in that they received a loan with a heavily subsidised interest rate.

The OP is not asking for a free handout, they would be paying the loan back.

I think that anyone that wants to further their knowledge and skills should be wholly supported.

Torby

I see what you're saying about another "undergrad" course...but surely at the end of the day...you're now a post grad taking a second degree course and as I understood it....you only get funding for the first degree....even if you decide not to avail of it....or have I totally misread your post....is there loans etc available to take on a second degree?

NovaBlack_2

dmg24 wrote: »

Have you escalated your query on a student loan at the LEA? I funded my first degree (Law too!), but have just enquired about studying for another undergraduate degree, and was told I could have full funding. However, I did need to escalate this, as it seems a common misconception that no funding is available. The only difference between our situations is that you had the fee reduction - seems very petty to deny you proper funding when you have only had £100 previously.

You are so right about training contracts, they are massively competitive. Even if you had got a place, many do not offer LPC funding, so you've still got to struggle for another year (and create massive debt!). I got offered a training contract, at the other side of the country, with no LPC funding, and at Law Society minimum wage. There was no way I could do it!

Have you looked into the Access to Learning Fund at your uni? I have some special requirements, and have received funding from the Fund. It is also there for people that have a shortfall between their income and outgoings.

really? could you give me any info you had on how to 'escalate' this ? i basically got told SO MANY different things from people that i eventually gave up (about 2 months of meetings and letters and emails).

Strangely, i did enquire about a hardship fund at uni, and was told i couldnt have it, as my current incomings (from working 1 day a week) are JUST managing to float my head at a steadyISH level (although way into my overdraft, and i cpuldnt expect to pay for anything unexpected atall if it arose).

The REALLY odd message i got was that basically if i wasnt working (and hence losing money each month) i MAY be entiteled to a hardhip grant..... but again i am TRYING to support myself it again seems bizaare i am being penalised. so basically should i stop working and apply... although i REALLY DONT WANT TO DO THIS.

yeah from what i can see the only difference is that i got about £100 off during my first degree split over a 2 year period. Strangely at first the SLC did seem to think i WAS eligible for funding. but then i wasnt. then i was again. then i wasnt.

With regards to CLAPTON's post, thanks for your reply. as i said i can see arguments from both sides of the debate. however what i am asking for is a low interest LOAN that i WILL pay back. Not free cash. I may only need to get a loan for ONE year, and im sure i could spread that amount over my next 2 years. And lets not forget i will PAY BACK the loan.

One odd thing i heard was that all students are entitled to 3 years funding (+1 repeated year). Even if they did take the view i had been 'funded' for 2 years (a harsh view IMHO) surely that still leaves 1 year remaining.

could you please post/pm any detaisl of how you got them to recognise your loan application? it would be a GREAT help!



I think alot of people here are misunderstanding 'funding' and 'loan' . yes this is a second undergrad degree. but im not specifically seeking more 'funding' (ie grants) and 'free cash', im merely looking for the opportunity to have a loan that i will pay back.

Crispy_Ambulance

The rules are now that if you have an honours degree, you are not entitled to any further student support to undertake a second degree, with the exception of medicine, dentistry and vetinary science. It is the fact that you have a previous degree that bars you from receiving support, not the fact that you didn't take out the loan.

LEAs have no discretion with this one, it is the Student Support Regulations. If you are struggling, you may be as well to consider switching to part time study, or taking a year out and working in order to build up some savings. You may get limited help from charities and trusts, but it is unlikely that you will get enough to support you.

sinizterguy

Crispy_Ambulance wrote: »

The rules are now that if you have an honours degree, you are not entitled to any further student support to undertake a second degree, with the exception of medicine, dentistry and vetinary science. It is the fact that you have a previous degree that bars you from receiving support, not the fact that you didn't take out the loan.

Sounds fair to me.

You could always get one of those higher studies loans - they are just not as favourable as the student loans.