Refused Universal Credit

Cutiepie9113

Hi, hoping for some advice please. I've lost my job and have been refused universal credit due to me studying a part time degree with the Open University. UC said that it's considered as full time as it's 12 hours or over. I spend about 12-13 hours a week actually studying - it's officially part time so how can UC declare it full time? It's obviously not. I receive a part time maintenance grant of £3622 per year, not enough to live on.... I have no savings to fall back on and the OU have no bursaries available either. I feel I am being punished for trying to improve my employment prospects...

calcotti

Request a Mandatory Reconsideration of the decision.
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/benefits-introduction/problems-with-benefits-and-tax-credits/challenging-a-benefit-decision/challenging-a-dwp-benefit-decision-on-or-after-28-october-2013/challenging-a-benefit-or-tax-credit-decision-asking-for-a-reconsideration/

This, which is their own guidance, may be relevant
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/907998/admh6.pdf

Open University students

H6087 Open University courses are not F/T and are normally followed at times that would fit in with employment. Most of the course material is studied and undertaken in the person's home and not at an educational establishment. However, they are still undertaking a course of study. The DM should have regard to whether the course is compatible with the individual’s expected hours of work (see ADM chapter J3050) and their work search requirement (see ADM chapter J3040). Any award made as a direct result of their participation on the course should be treated as student income in the normal way (see H6141 – H6144).

Cutiepie9113

Thank you, they immediately closed my UC online account so I couldn't message them back. Tried calling but impossible to get through

calcotti

Not sure how you go about this. Presumably you now have no record of the claim or decision. I think you’ll have to persist by phone. If you get nowhere try your MP.

Cutiepie9113

I think it's awful how they deal with you, they just shut me down without a chance to respond. I pointed out it was only part time but they just ignored the fact..

calcotti

Do you have any record of the claim? Difficult to MR without a decision notice. Possibly you could make a new claim and once you have a new journal put in an MR for the previous decision.

NedS

Cutiepie9113 said:

Hi, hoping for some advice please. I've lost my job and have been refused universal credit due to me studying a part time degree with the Open University. UC said that it's considered as full time as it's 12 hours or over. I spend about 12-13 hours a week actually studying - it's officially part time so how can UC declare it full time? It's obviously not. I receive a part time maintenance grant of £3622 per year, not enough to live on.... I have no savings to fall back on and the OU have no bursaries available either. I feel I am being punished for trying to improve my employment prospects...

The number of hours you study are irrelevant. The important, and only factor is how the institution classifies the course - as either part time for full time. In the absence of actually checking with the institution involved, a better indication of whether it's a part time degree or a full time degree is how many years the course lasts. A normal full time degree is a 3 year course, so I would expect a part time degree to be 6 years. If the person told me it's a 3 year course I would assume it to be full time. Either way, when determining your eligibility for Universal Credit, you should have been asked to provide documents that showed the full details of your course from the Open University, including whether it is part time or full time. UC should use this evidence to make the decision.