Not eligible for tuition fees/bursary!!

efgeesus

I found out (3 days before I go to uni) that instead of receiving £1750 for tuition fees, and a £2500 bursary I will only receive the student loan of £1800.


Becuase I went to uni before for a year and 2 months into second year I can't get the above amounts until my third year.

They have a system where if you have been for 1 year dropped out and gone back to uni, you still get that total above, but cos i went for 2 years, technicially a year and a few months I'm getting shafted.

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So that leaves a massive £4000+ hole that I can't cover, or even think about covering.

Has anyone been in this situation and what did you do? Or got some advice?
The last thing I want is a bank loan but might be the last resort.

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NOTE TO ANY STUDENTS RETURNING TO STUDY HAVING DROPPED OUT DURING SECOND YEAR ONWARDS
YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE ANY BURSARY OR TUITION FEES AS PART OF YOUR LOAN AND WILL HAVE TO FINANCE YOURSELF BY WHATEVER MEANS.

dmg24

You are not being 'shafted', you have already had part of your entitlement, and therefore you are not entitled to more.

There is the Access to Learning Fund, but that is more to cover unexpected costs, and not to pay fees.

Alternatively, you could study part time, so you can work to supplement your income?

Rikki

Student tuition fee loan or student maintenence loan?

efgeesus

tuition fee loan and maintenance i guess.

part time wouldnt really work for me. im moving away from home to go to uni, and the whole uni experience along with the degree is not worth missing.

dmg24

If you can't afford to live, then 'the whole uni experience' is not going to be much fun?

Could I ask why you left before? If there are valid reasons, it is sometimes possible to appeal the decision?

efgeesus

I left simply because i wasn't suitable for the course, wasn't my thing at all and I was struggling with it which is unusual for me. I shouldn't have gone back for the second year looking back but hind sights great isn't it.

dmg24

In that case you will not have a case for appeal.

Could your parents help you out?

crank_girl

I'm in the same position as you. I've studied before so I'm not entitled to a brass bean. I wasn't expecting maintenance loans or grants but a tuition fee loan would have been helpful. Seems particularly odd given that Bill Rammell MP has been banging on about the importance of lifelong learning.

Perhaps you could consider doing the course part-time so you could work as well? Is it totally different than your last course? You may well be able to count some of your previous study towards the new degree and complete it quicker...

chika

This happened to me last year. I had done two years of a media and journalism degree but decided thart I didn't like it and due to that and a few personal reasons I dropped out.

Last year I decided to do a teaching degree which I love but then I got the letter saying that I was only entitled to the basic loan and had to cover my fees myself.

I applied to the access to learning fund and was turned down but on the advice of a lecturer I appealed and after a 3 page begging letter and I suspect some interference from a lecturer I was awarded some cash. I also worked about 40 hours a week (not reccomended)! It was hard but I managed to get through it.

Btw, you will be entitled to the full support including tuition fee loan next year so it wont all be doom and gloom. Plus as the academic year is really short try and come to some arrangement with your uni to see if you can pay the fees in installments. You could work in the holidays and try and pay some of the money off then. Good luck!

Torby

"NOTE TO ANY STUDENTS RETURNING TO STUDY HAVING DROPPED OUT DURING SECOND YEAR ONWARDS
YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE ANY BURSARY OR TUITION FEES AS PART OF YOUR LOAN AND WILL HAVE TO FINANCE YOURSELF BY WHATEVER MEANS."

welcome to the real world I'm afraid, you are really being treated like a post grad...even though you dont have a degree, which is a shame....makes lack of funding even more galling...its a struggle for students...but depending on your final degree/trade/chosen profession it might be worth the cost...only you can decide...good luck

efgeesus

Torby wrote: »

"NOTE TO ANY STUDENTS RETURNING TO STUDY HAVING DROPPED OUT DURING SECOND YEAR ONWARDS
YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE ANY BURSARY OR TUITION FEES AS PART OF YOUR LOAN AND WILL HAVE TO FINANCE YOURSELF BY WHATEVER MEANS."

welcome to the real world I'm afraid, you are really being treated like a post grad...even though you dont have a degree, which is a shame....makes lack of funding even more galling...its a struggle for students...but depending on your final degree/trade/chosen profession it might be worth the cost...only you can decide...good luck

yeh it sucks.. I really wish i'd known about this previously, as i would have certainly not gone back to uni for part of the second year, thats the real kicker. for the sake of receiving £1600 in second year, i'm missing out on over £8000 for my first and second year which seems really harsh.

decided i'm still going with help from parents (or ratehr they decided), but i dont like having to borrow off them, hopefully it will all be worth it in the long run.