"But you've already done a first year."
August 18, 2011 3:04 PM Subscribe
[UK-specific] With the Student Loans Company claiming he's not eligible for his first year of university funding, how can my friend appeal his case before the start of the coming academic year?
(This question is specific to the UK, so any UK MeFites with experience of Britain's arrangements for student loans, this is for you.)
A friend of mine has a place to study at UCL this coming academic year. He's got the grades, but after a lot of faffing around by the SLC they've told him that he isn't eligible to receive any loans for his first year of study. This is because he did a year at the University of Leeds two years ago and accepted a loan for it, so he's already "used up his level one funding", in the parlance.
He's also been told that, to challenge this decision, he needs to make a written appeal to the SLC which will take four weeks to process and a further 28 days to be replied to. That's not going to fly—term starts late September and with London rents higher than ever, he'll be destitute without that loan.
We're almost certain the person he spoke to at the SLC (who apparently was fairly senior) is talking crap, not least because I know someone who did a year at Southampton, dropped out and then came to UCL without a problem. As I understand it, students get four years of funding in their container (otherwise those on four-year MSc/MEng courses wouldn't have any funding for their final year) so he should be eligible for 'another' first year.
Is he entitled to his first year of funding? How can he expedite the appeals process, or at the very least can he find out if the answer is foregone before investing months trying to get it? Any other advice for this forlorn friend?
(This question is specific to the UK, so any UK MeFites with experience of Britain's arrangements for student loans, this is for you.)
A friend of mine has a place to study at UCL this coming academic year. He's got the grades, but after a lot of faffing around by the SLC they've told him that he isn't eligible to receive any loans for his first year of study. This is because he did a year at the University of Leeds two years ago and accepted a loan for it, so he's already "used up his level one funding", in the parlance.
He's also been told that, to challenge this decision, he needs to make a written appeal to the SLC which will take four weeks to process and a further 28 days to be replied to. That's not going to fly—term starts late September and with London rents higher than ever, he'll be destitute without that loan.
We're almost certain the person he spoke to at the SLC (who apparently was fairly senior) is talking crap, not least because I know someone who did a year at Southampton, dropped out and then came to UCL without a problem. As I understand it, students get four years of funding in their container (otherwise those on four-year MSc/MEng courses wouldn't have any funding for their final year) so he should be eligible for 'another' first year.
Is he entitled to his first year of funding? How can he expedite the appeals process, or at the very least can he find out if the answer is foregone before investing months trying to get it? Any other advice for this forlorn friend?
Yeah, it sounds like bollocks to me, i have not come across funding being particularly attached to a year to me, though you can't get funding for a second degree - I wonder if that hs confused someone at SLC?
Anyway, what your friend should do is accept the position at UCL if they haven't already, because it is far better in the current climate to have an accepted offer. Get them to call and confirm first thing in the morning. Then ask to be put through to UCL's student finance department - it might not be called that but they will definitely have one and they will have buckets of experience at dealing with the SLC and its little foibles. If UCL have signed you up it is very much in their interest to make sure s/he can get on, and that includes getting funding.
posted by biffa at 4:48 PM on August 18, 2011
Anyway, what your friend should do is accept the position at UCL if they haven't already, because it is far better in the current climate to have an accepted offer. Get them to call and confirm first thing in the morning. Then ask to be put through to UCL's student finance department - it might not be called that but they will definitely have one and they will have buckets of experience at dealing with the SLC and its little foibles. If UCL have signed you up it is very much in their interest to make sure s/he can get on, and that includes getting funding.
posted by biffa at 4:48 PM on August 18, 2011
You are entitled to funding for the length of a course + 1 years - any previously claimed years, so he should be entitled to claim 3 years of finacial support. Contact UCL and they will help him sort it out, I suspect he may have confused the SLC (who are incompetent at the best of times) by mentioning his open university study, which is on a totally separate system of finances.
posted by Another Fine Product From The Nonsense Factory at 11:04 PM on August 18, 2011
posted by Another Fine Product From The Nonsense Factory at 11:04 PM on August 18, 2011
As I understand it, students get four years of funding in their container (otherwise those on four-year MSc/MEng courses wouldn't have any funding for their final year)
Its not a set 4 years (some courses are longer than 4), its based on the length of the course. Specifically - the length of the course +1 (to account for transfers and 'false starts')
But it sounds like he's already had 3 years of funding? In which case he's SOL.
Was he doing a degree at OU and dropped out or did he receive his qualification?
Call them again, ask why he isn't eligible for his course length + the 1 year 'false start. I imagine they'll tell you its because of those 2 years of grants he's also already had. The explanation they've given you may be hokey but they could well be right that he can't get any more funding - or he can only get 2 years and they're reserving it for if he gets through first year. Unfortunately your friend's case is so 'special' that its not going to be covered by the simple eligibility criteria available in the documentation and you're basically entirely at their mercy. I don't think there is any independent organisation that will tell you if you should be eligible, although I suppose you could try CAB.
It sounds like they're saying the situation is this: If he had grants for part-time OU study towards a degree and dropped out, that counts as his 'false start' so when he started at Leeds he was eligable for 3 years of funding but dropped out again. Now he's not entitled to any new funding but he's still has unused year 2 and year 3 funding from his Leeds course which they could transfer if he makes it to year 2 at UCL.
posted by missmagenta at 11:27 PM on August 18, 2011
Its not a set 4 years (some courses are longer than 4), its based on the length of the course. Specifically - the length of the course +1 (to account for transfers and 'false starts')
But it sounds like he's already had 3 years of funding? In which case he's SOL.
Was he doing a degree at OU and dropped out or did he receive his qualification?
Call them again, ask why he isn't eligible for his course length + the 1 year 'false start. I imagine they'll tell you its because of those 2 years of grants he's also already had. The explanation they've given you may be hokey but they could well be right that he can't get any more funding - or he can only get 2 years and they're reserving it for if he gets through first year. Unfortunately your friend's case is so 'special' that its not going to be covered by the simple eligibility criteria available in the documentation and you're basically entirely at their mercy. I don't think there is any independent organisation that will tell you if you should be eligible, although I suppose you could try CAB.
It sounds like they're saying the situation is this: If he had grants for part-time OU study towards a degree and dropped out, that counts as his 'false start' so when he started at Leeds he was eligable for 3 years of funding but dropped out again. Now he's not entitled to any new funding but he's still has unused year 2 and year 3 funding from his Leeds course which they could transfer if he makes it to year 2 at UCL.
posted by missmagenta at 11:27 PM on August 18, 2011
Were the grants he had while studying at the OU anything to do with the SLC? If so he may be out of luck. If, however, these grants came directly from the OU I don't see why this would be a factor in their decision.
As many people have said, my experience has been that funding is given for the length of the course, + 1 year to account for false starts, etc. I started at one university, dropped out, then started again at another and had no problems getting full funding, even though I'd already had the one year - I had to provide a letter from my original university, though explaining that I'd terminated the course for health reasons, so I don't know if the reason you quite your first course has any bearing on whether you get funding seconds time around?
As others have said, phone them again, explicitly asking about the + 1 rule and see what they say. It may be that they've recently changed their policy, in which case you may be out of luck.
He should contact the university he's going to's finance department, as they will have grants that they give to students in particularly destitute situations (although this is often students supporting children etc) or they may give him an emergency loan to get him through the first month or so. Although obviously if the SLC didn't budge he's be a bit stuck after this.
Good luck.
posted by schmoo at 11:50 PM on August 18, 2011
As many people have said, my experience has been that funding is given for the length of the course, + 1 year to account for false starts, etc. I started at one university, dropped out, then started again at another and had no problems getting full funding, even though I'd already had the one year - I had to provide a letter from my original university, though explaining that I'd terminated the course for health reasons, so I don't know if the reason you quite your first course has any bearing on whether you get funding seconds time around?
As others have said, phone them again, explicitly asking about the + 1 rule and see what they say. It may be that they've recently changed their policy, in which case you may be out of luck.
He should contact the university he's going to's finance department, as they will have grants that they give to students in particularly destitute situations (although this is often students supporting children etc) or they may give him an emergency loan to get him through the first month or so. Although obviously if the SLC didn't budge he's be a bit stuck after this.
Good luck.
posted by schmoo at 11:50 PM on August 18, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
All the same, he needs some way of getting this sorted faster than the standard adjudication process allows.
posted by henryaj at 3:34 PM on August 18, 2011