The Student Room Group

Compelling personal reasons

I phoned student finance up, and told them I was suspending due to illness and was told I'd be fine to get funding for another three years of a course because they give everyone a 'gift year'.

They did not mention 'compelling personal reasons' and I wondered if I qualified because it would be great not to have funding affected. The gift year seems to be a concept built for people who have chosen the wrong course on the wrong uni. However, I don't know if I would qualify for compelling personal reasons because it was just that ongoing health problems got a lot worse when I left home, and I was unable to continue. I don't know if 'compelling personal reasons' in terms of health are reserved for otherwise healthy people who get something new once at uni?

I'd be grateful for a response :smile:
Reply 1
Avatar for Klix88
Klix88
17
The "gift year" is part of the way your Student Finance entitlement is calculated. It's:
The number of years of your degree course, minus the number of years of funding you've already had, plus one year.

I left my first attempt at a degree after two years and started another three year degree from scratch in my 40s. So in my case, the calculation was 3-2+1=2. So for my second attempt at uni, I had a minimal Maintenance Loan for the first year and had to pay all other expenses myself (including fees). I then had full Student Finance for my second and third years.

In your case, you've done one year. If you go on to do a three year degree from scratch, your entitlement will be 3-1+1=3. So even without the medical evidence of why you left your first degree, you'll get full Student Finance support for all three years of your second attempt.
Original post by xfirekittyx
I phoned student finance up, and told them I was suspending due to illness and was told I'd be fine to get funding for another three years of a course because they give everyone a 'gift year'.

They did not mention 'compelling personal reasons' and I wondered if I qualified because it would be great not to have funding affected. The gift year seems to be a concept built for people who have chosen the wrong course on the wrong uni. However, I don't know if I would qualify for compelling personal reasons because it was just that ongoing health problems got a lot worse when I left home, and I was unable to continue. I don't know if 'compelling personal reasons' in terms of health are reserved for otherwise healthy people who get something new once at uni?

I'd be grateful for a response :smile:


Have you SUSPENDED or WITHDRAWN from studies?

If you told student finance that you've SUSPENDED your studies, it means that you're able to go back to university, and carry on where you left off - meaning you won't need any extra funding, as it'll carry on when you go back. (You would have needed to tell your university that you're suspending your studies).

If you withdrew from university, or have left and not said anything to university, but told student finance that you suspended. It means that you will have lost a year of funding. Compelling personal reasons are for people that withdraw from university, not suspend studies to due illness - as you don't lose a year of funding etc when you suspend studies.
Reply 3
Avatar for xfirekittyx
xfirekittyx
OP
14
Original post by Knalchemist
Have you SUSPENDED or WITHDRAWN from studies?

If you told student finance that you've SUSPENDED your studies, it means that you're able to go back to university, and carry on where you left off - meaning you won't need any extra funding, as it'll carry on when you go back. (You would have needed to tell your university that you're suspending your studies).

If you withdrew from university, or have left and not said anything to university, but told student finance that you suspended. It means that you will have lost a year of funding. Compelling personal reasons are for people that withdraw from university, not suspend studies to due illness - as you don't lose a year of funding etc when you suspend studies.


It's a bit confusing, my uni calls it suspension from studies but it means repeating the whole year even though the work that I did do, I got decent enough marks. So with my uni it's not carrying on where I left off - It's going back to the beginning of the year and I'll need another three years of finance if everything goes smoothly.
(edited 11 years ago)

Quick Reply

Related discussions

Latest

Trending

Trending

Articles for you