Dropping Out and Student Finance

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The bold part is incorrect. Your first course length is irrelevant, it's the length of your current (or new) course that determines how much funding you get.

This is always: Length of new course + 1 year - previous HE study = entitlement

Your years of entitlement is always given from the last year first, so it would never be a case of having to fund the last year yourself (unless you had 0 entitlement left); it will always be the first year(s) that you self-fund.

No, you're definitely wrong. I've spoken to student finance about this many times. If we went by your theory funding would always be available and you could swap and change as many times as you like. You get your original course duration plus a year, so when you start a new course you get funding for the amount of year you were entitled to minus the year you've used previously. My first degree was a 3 year course so i was entitled to 4 years of funding (course duration +1 year). Now i'm starting a new course I have 3 years of funding available because i've essentially used my extra year.

There are many other people who have been told this by student finance too-

Original post by gillipies

I was told when I switched courses a year ago that you are allowed to get loans for the duration of your original course (occupational therapy, in your case) plus one year to allow for 'false starts' like what has happened to you.

So if your therapy course was 3 years you'd be allowed another 3 years from now to complete a different course.

Make sure you speak to someone about how to sort it out properly though as you need to fill in the loans form about changing course etc.

It's pretty easy to do though - I hope that makes sense!

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 21

Shani

Original post by AliceStrawbs

Nope, you're definitely wrong. The formula I've quoted is right, and the duration of your first course is wholly irrelevant. It is only the amount of years you've spent studying on your previous course that's relevant.

The formula is: Length of new course + 1 year - previous HE study

And no, not in any way could you get indefinite funding on that formula. Every year (when just one day is counted as a year) will count in your "previous study" and therefore will be taken away from future funding.

Is your new course 4 years long? And did you spend only 1 year on your previous course? If answers to both is yes, then you should be entitled to full funding for the duration of your new course. If you spent 2 years on your old course then you would get a tuition fee loan only in your first year and full funding for subsequent years.

If someone at SF has given you that incorrect advice above I suggest you call again and speak to someone who knows what they're talking about.

Reply 22

longman240

Original post by rmhumphries

It depends. I am going to be retaking a year and still have my extra years funding, due to mental health problems. Depression, with evidence from a GP, is sufficient, but would need to fit with what it is explaining - for retaking a year, then it fits, for changing course I don't know if it would be acceptable (you would need to have evidence that your depression has made the change in course necessary I believe)

Ok, well I know full well what the depression did to me after my grades so I do have a sufficient explanation, but quick question, if I transferred onto 2nd Year Pharmacy, would that be fully funded then?

Reply 23

Shani

Original post by longman240

It should be, yes. If you had 2 years previous study (old course + pharma) it would only be your first year without a tuition fee loan - so year 2 onwards would be fully funded.

Reply 24

longman240

Thanks for all your help guys and girls, I shall go about trying to get a plan sorted then, glad I found out sooner rather than later.

Reply 25

AliceStrawbs

Original post by Shani

If someone at SF has given you that incorrect advice above I suggest you call again and speak to someone who knows what they're talking about.

I've spoken to multiple people at student finance about this because I was worried about financing a new course. They all said the same thing - original course duration + 1 year.

BUT I am willing to accept that everyone i have spoken to on the phone was a moron having come across this http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/How_Dropping_Out_Will_Affect_Your_Finances I'm actually really angry that about 4 people have given me incorrect information :angry:

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 26

Shani

Original post by AliceStrawbs

I've spoken to multiple people at student finance about this because I was worried about financing a new course. They all said the same thing - original course duration + 1 year.

Then they all either gave you the wrong information or you've misunderstood. They may have said "current" course, as in your new course, but your old course = previous study, and the duration of the original course is irrelevant - it is only the amount of years you've studied on your previous course that's relevant.

It makes no difference to me if you get what you're entitled to, but honestly, your original course length is totally irrelevant.

A few links to confirm what I'm saying is correct:

http://www.welfare.qmul.ac.uk/documents/leaflets/funding/16393.pdf

Number of standard academic years of your new course
↓
Plus 1 year
↓
Minus the number of years you attended on your previous course
↓
Equals the number of years you can get a Tuition Fee Loan and Maintenance Grant on your new course
If you attended a previous course for only part of an academic year, this still counts as one year. If you are
only entitled to a Tuition Fee Loan and Maintenance Grant for part of your new course, because of
previous study, you will get this funding in the later years of your new course rather than at the beginning,
so you will need to find other funding until your Student Finance starts.

http://www.hope.ac.uk/welfare-benefits-advice/interrupting-withdrawing-from-studies.html

Generally finance is assessed based on the length of the course you are applying for plus one year minus any previous study.

http://www.ntu.ac.uk/student_services/fees_finance/changes_affecting_finance/leaving_ntu/index.html

As such, if a student withdraws during the first year of their first ever HE course, then they can expect to receive support for the duration of their new course.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 27

rmhumphries

Original post by longman240

Yes, but the problem I see is that they will ask "Ok, so your depression means you didn't get good grades for the year, why can you not just resit the year?".

It could be fine, but I have found that generally anyone giving you money always tries to find a way to get out of it :tongue:

And yes, if you went straight into year 2 Pharmacy, it would be fully funded.

Reply 28

priscil_16

Original post by longman240

Oh wow, ok, well that's put a spanner in the works, thanks for the help. Do you know if there's a way I could pay back my year of English early and then get full funding for Pharmacy?

Hi that is not true, I am in the same position as you, first year, starting pharmacy in September. I will receive funding for the whole 4 years.

If you want funding for all 4 years you need to have only received 1 year of funding. However if you recieve 2 yearrs, you will only recieve 3 years of funding, you will have to fund the first year yourself.

Reply 29

AliceStrawbs

Original post by Shani

No they've definitely given my incorrect information because they said original course. I'm really REALLY cheesed off because this means that I could have put down that I wanted to the 4 year course and not the 3 and i'm worried that it's now too late to change it.

Reply 30

Shani

Original post by AliceStrawbs

Defintiely not too late to change it with student finance - contact your university and see if they will let you change :smile:

Reply 31

rmhumphries

Original post by AliceStrawbs

I agree with Shani, although I can't find any information that confirms or disproves it on the Student Finance website. In regards to changing course, then as long as there are no structural differences between the 3 year and 4 year course before the 4th year, you should be able to change at any point before the end of the semester in 3rd year (this is the case for MSci/BSc Computer Science students at Uni of Nottingham anyway)

Reply 32

Shani

Original post by rmhumphries

I believe you would need a degree in something like "Student Finance Studies" to decipher any of the information they give on their website - they definitely do not make it easy!

Reply 33

longman240

Original post by Shani

I believe you would need a degree in something like "Student Finance Studies" to decipher any of the information they give on their website - they definitely do not make it easy!