Help needed - Regarding unpaid tuition fees

le-char

Hey there, any help on this would be much appreciated as I'm really worried about it.

Okay, the year before last year I started a part time course with a university. I was doing it alongside my full time job, but after a few weeks I knew I couldn't cope.

I emailed my course coordinator telling him I was withdrawing from the course, and followed that up with a letter to the university office.

Now, in my handbook it states that if you left the course before October 31st 2006, no tuition fees would be due. I withdrew before that date and assumed it would all be okay.

Was it? No. I received a letter from TNC Legal services telling me that I owe the university £824 in unpaid tuition fees for the whole year.

I wrote back and told them that I didn't, and included a link to my handbook. They hadn't responded for 2 weeks, and the next I heard from them was a letter on Christmas Eve telling me that if I didn't pay them immediately, I'd be taken to court!

I called them today and the man dealing with my case was really not helpful. He said it was my word against the course coordinator (who has since left) about whether I informed him I was withdrawing and that I could 'tell it all to the court'.

I'm a full time student now studying away from home and I'm in no position to pay this. I don't want it to go as far as court, but I'm at a loss as what to do. He told me not to bother talking to the uni directly as they wouldn't talk to me about it because they've 'washed their hands of it'.

Apologies for length, I really am quite desperate!

Thanks,

Charlene

Snaggles

Hi Charlene

I'm guessing you don't have a copy of the email or letter you sent after all this time? Have you contacted the university to see if they still have a copy of the letter on file?

Not sure what else to suggest really, but I hope you get it sorted out. Surely they will be able to tell from their records that you didn't attend the course after that date - don't they take a register? (I would have thought so for fire evacuations etc.)

poorandindenial

I am not sure what to suggest either (except huntig like crazy for the letter and email) you may just have to ride it out and see where it ends up. You have no proof (at the moment) that the debts are not correct BUT they also have no proof that you didn't do what you say. You might want to go through another route to get a copy of the letter you sent them and you may have to pay a tenner for the privilege (to cover their costs in locating it and copying it) - eg asking for a copy of your academic files and all corrospondence between you and the university.

debrag

god what uni was this? with the one I'm at if you haven't been to class for 3 weeks in a row without tellling them you get an email asking if you have left the course, taking a break etc then they ask you teacher when you last went to class.
I was originally doing Criminology with Psychology but decided it wasn't for me and wanted to drop psych so I emailed them & they also included me in the email to my teacher.
I am still in the process of moving from double to singles honours, the uni is very slow with this & haven't gotten back to me even though they said they would ring.

girltuesday_2

Hi Charlene,

I work for a university, so maybe I can help.

Firstly, most universities would require you to complete a formal Notice of Withdrawal from your course. This is usually a form that you have to complete and sign. If your university required this, then your tutor should have told you when you notified him that you were withdrawing.

Secondly, the university is required to have a formal complaints procedure. You need to contact them (I'd probably ring them and ask to speak to whoever deals with complaints and legal issues - normally the University Secretary's Office) and ask for:
a) details of the formal complaints procedure (not just an address to write to, but the layout of how the complaint will be handled, the different stages, etc
b) for them to put the debt collection process on hold until the complaints process is concluded
I'm sure I don't need to tell you to make sure you take the names of everyone you speak to and take notes of what they say.

Then follow the complaints procedure. You'll probably be asked to put everything in writing. Make sure you do so clearly with dates and any copies you have of correspondence. You may be aksed to come into the University to meet with them, but the likelihood is that they can solve something like this by letter or over the phone.

I probably shouldn't say this, but if you threaten to consult a solicitor and/or take legal action, the chances are they will back down, as the 'he said, she said' defence won't stand up, and they know it! Plus universities do NOT want publicity or court cases as it's very bad for their reputations!!