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Student Grant repayment demands

Story

Earlier this year I decided I didn't want to carry on my course so I finished the second semester so I thought and sent in the form to my university saying I didn't wish to carry on with my studies.

A month later I got a letter saying I owed SLC £800 in repayment for the grant. I gave them a ring and he explained I must have submitted the wrong form as technically I terminated my course on June 3rd; technically a few weeks short of the official end date.

So I asked if there was a way to sort this out or have the amount reduced as I had been at university for 2 months since my last loan payment and had actually finished the semester academically.The guy said no, I'd have to pay it in full and there was nothing I could do. They rang me a week later chasing the money and again said there's nothing I can do and I owe the money.

At this point I just ignored them for half a year as they point blank refused to help and I didn't think ethically I owed it. Today I received a letter from the student loans company saying they'd pass the debt onto Smith Lawson&Co (Which seems to be just them under a different trading name)


So really the main questions are :

1. Has anybody else had a similar problem with grant overpayment and been able to get the repayment reduced or found another solution?
2. What actions can SLC/SL&C take to recover this amount?
Reply 1
Avatar for MoonGazer
MoonGazer
9
I had exactly the same thing happen to me last year, except it was a bit more complicated (I changed my status to withdrawn on their site, they reassessed me for god knows what reason, said I was entitled to some grant money, which they sent me a letter about and awarded me, then a few months later after I'd already spent it, they demanded part of it back due to that bit of it being an overpayment). They wanted it back in full, which I could not afford to pay back and my local CAB weren't of much use to me and then I kept being hassled by them, with letters threatening legal action/debt collectors - thankfully my boyfriend had recently inherited some money and was able to help me pay it off.

Not quite SLC, but the same thing basically happened with the tuition fees I suddenly owed the uni after I left, which got taken to debt collectors - again, my boyfriend's mother was able to help me out with affording repayments on this after pretty much the same thing had happened as above, with all the phonecalls etc (I then heard nothing for ages and got a call from ACT Credit Management about it demanding that I pay some money RIGHT NOW on behalf of the uni and were very unsympathetic - so avoid having to go down that root if you can, most debt collectors are really quite horrible people, in my experience).

I have found no way to have had either reduced or anything personally. As for what actions they legally can and cannot do, I'm unsure exactly, although someone is bound to know on here, I'd imagine.
It's pretty simple isn't it? Grants are different to loans as they are non repayable amounts of money given to you for help with maintenance costs as part of being at university. You were given that money but quit, therefore you owe them that money back. They are legally entitled to recover that money through debt agencies. You signed a contract and therefore are obliged to pay them that money back. I suggest you start to make a payment plan with them before you start to get a really hard time. Also, this doesn't sound like an overpayment to me unless you didn't mean to say that?
Reply 3
Avatar for jelly1000
jelly1000
21
Original post by BananaBanana
Story

Earlier this year I decided I didn't want to carry on my course so I finished the second semester so I thought and sent in the form to my university saying I didn't wish to carry on with my studies.

A month later I got a letter saying I owed SLC £800 in repayment for the grant. I gave them a ring and he explained I must have submitted the wrong form as technically I terminated my course on June 3rd; technically a few weeks short of the official end date.

So I asked if there was a way to sort this out or have the amount reduced as I had been at university for 2 months since my last loan payment and had actually finished the semester academically.The guy said no, I'd have to pay it in full and there was nothing I could do. They rang me a week later chasing the money and again said there's nothing I can do and I owe the money.

At this point I just ignored them for half a year as they point blank refused to help and I didn't think ethically I owed it. Today I received a letter from the student loans company saying they'd pass the debt onto Smith Lawson&Co (Which seems to be just them under a different trading name)


So really the main questions are :

1. Has anybody else had a similar problem with grant overpayment and been able to get the repayment reduced or found another solution?
2. What actions can SLC/SL&C take to recover this amount?


the money you are given in April is meant to cover the summer as well, therefore as you dropped out before september they overpaid you. you should be able to reach an agreement with them to pay in installments.

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