Postgraduate loans 2016/2017 starters

You need to be accepted on a recognised post grad course at a recognised university BEFORE you apply for the loan. Yes that includes the OU and yes you have to pay up front.

If you haven't got the cash to pay up front for a few months, you can apply to OUSBA (google it) to pay your costs. They pay the full costs of your course and then you pay them back monthly. You then apply for the post grad loan and you you use that to pay back OUSBA.

It sounds a bit confusing but its not. Remember there are 3 stages to this. First get accepted on a course. Second contact OUSBA to pay your fees and get you on the course. Third get a Post grad loan and pay back OUSBA

OUSBA are really good and understanding and effficient. I got an acceptance from them within the day and my fees were paid the following day. Then you contact Student Finance England for the Post Grad loan with details of your course and they give you a decision within a few days. It takes about 6 weeks to get the Post Grad money but OUSBA don't start taking your monthly fee costs for about a month.

So, for example, my course begins in September, OUSBA begin taking monthly fees back in November and the Post Grad loan is paid into my bank in October (they pay in three instalments) You use that to repay OUSBA and everyone is happy.

Hi

- It must be a full master's course: This technically means a level 7 qualification worth 180 credits. Postgrad diplomas therefore don't count as these are usually 120 or 60 credits.

I am enrolling onto a Full masters course - not a PG dip or anything like that. However, I have done my PGCE which gives me 60 credits from previous study, also known as APL, and I wanted to bring them across to my masters.

Would I still be entitled to a PG loan if I transfer 60 credits from previous learning?

I too am concerned about the age restriction of 60 for postgrad loans. I have not yet found any reasons given for this apparently arbitrary choice. Any ideas about who do to contact for an explanation?

I am writing to you to make you aware of the Student Finance England's decision to withdraw the funding of Scottish, Northern Irish and Welsh Postgraduate Students living and studying in England. Furthermore I petition you to investigate further about the horrific way that Postgraduate Students have been treated in this matter and the very difficult mental and financial circumstances they now find themselves in as a direct result of the SFE's actions.

Background
From 2010 to 2012 I went to Edinburgh College and was funded by SAAS to study at HND level. Once I completed my studies I took a 2 year break from studying to start my own business in Berwick Upon Tweed but after this business failed, I decided to study at undergraduate level at Newcastle University which coincided with me and my family permanently moving to England in August 2014. My wife left her job in Scotland in August 2014 as part of our permanent move to Newcastle with my 3 children registered into English Schools. My 10 years old, has been awarded a scholarship to study music in the Newcastle area and is in his 2nd year of training.

As I was previously funded by SAAS I could not apply to the SFE at the time of moving to England therefore my undergraduate studies were funded by SAAS. I graduated in July 2016 but as I wanted to study at Post Graduate Level I was informed by SAAS that I could not apply to them for anymore funding as was living permanently here in England in a Council House for 2 yrs.

I therefore asked SFE if I was eligible to apply to them for funding before submitting my application forward and they confirmed over the telephone that I was eligible to apply. My application was approved in July with the first payment scheduled for the 26th of September which was also the day of my course registration. I therefore put off any plans to look for full time employment to support my family after my graduation and spent the summer preparing myself for post graduate study. On the basis of written notification from the SFE that my application had been approved I also put in place after school childcare for my 3 children and budgeted my finances based on the money I had been assured was coming to me from the Students Loans Company.

The point I'm making is the SFE waited until all the Scottish,Northern Irish and Welsh students living and studying in England had registered with their University before blocking their payments without any warning or notification. This means by registering with your University and starting your course, like I have, makes me (and others in this situation) legally bound to pay the tuition fees which had been approved up until I started my course.

Because my funding has been recalled I now have no means to pay for my fees and after school childcare costs not to mention that I am being forced to leave my course with the liability to pay the University my course fees. The Online system stated that my first payment had been sent and I received a text message from the SFE to say the funds had been released but they hadn't and according to the Students Advice Centre at Newcastle University, this was the case with every student in my position.

The SFE's Call Service Staff had me going to my bank to check where the payment was but the fact is that no payment had ever been paid to anyone and they knew it!. I put my whole life on hold to prepare for the Masters course I had been registered on with the assurance that I had funding in place. It's been a horrible experience attending classes over the past 2 weeks not knowing why my loan payments had been blocked not to mention the arrears I am now have with other debts.

The mental stress to me, my wife and 3 kids has been severe due to the financial implications of not receiving my loan along with being forced off my course with no job,is a direct result of the SFE's handling and dealing with the Scottish, Welsh & NI Postgraduates students applying for this new loan.

I do not accept the SFE's ruling that I moved to England "Solely" on the basis to study at Newcastle University. As I am a UK citizen I have the freedom to move to any part of the UK for any reason or indeed for multiple reasons with no legal obligation to apply for a Work Permit or Visa to move from Scotland to England. I therefore would like the SFE to be made accountable for the mental and financial stress caused to me and my family and for my case to be reviewed on the basis that myself, my wife and three children did not move to England solely for the purpose of my undergraduate studies.

This is not an acceptable way to treat non English students living and studying in England which is why I am bringing this matter to the public domain. I do not accept that the SFE has the right to force me to take a GAP year of my studies without considering the facts concerning my residency here in England. The SFE's conduct in the matter is in disrepute and should be investigated urgently as this affecting so many students left without funding.

I look forward to hearing from you regarding this matter?

James Robertson