Need urgent advice!!!

So to clarify, you started your second year but were withdrawn sometime during the first term of your second year. The big problem is that you started the second year and SF paid the first instalment of your second year. For the purposes of their calculation, that means you've had two years of SF funding as they take partial years as complete.

If you start a new 3 year degree from scratch, you'll get full funding for the second and third years only. In the first year you'll just get a Maintenance Loan and you'll have to fund the rest - including tuition fees - yourself.

The calculation is:

Number of years of new course (minus) Number of previous years of uni-level study (plus) one year

That gives you 3 - 2 + 1 = 2 years of funding left.

The only way you could have any of your SF entitlement reinstated would be if you had reasons for leaving/failing such as a bereavement or illness. As you've been withdrawn on academic grounds, it sounds like this does not apply.

However, if you left right at the start of the second year, informed SF at the time and repaid the SF money that you'd been paid for the first term of your second year, then you would have a full 3 years of entitlement remaining.

My 2nd year started in January and had mitigating circumstances supported by evidence, however, they did not accept for one reason or another. The outcome of my mitigating circumstances application was only given to me a few days ago.

Also, is it not true you get 3 years student finance + 1 bonus year?

You could try your mitigating circumstances with Student Finance to see if if they meet their criteria. The process is called "Compelling Personal Reasons" and it could restore a year of your SF entitlement. But they do have to be severe personal problems which affected your ability to study/revise and they must be backed up by written evidence from a third party such as a GP or hospital consultant. However if the university did not accept your mitigating circumstances appeal, then I wouldn't get your hopes up with SF.

Yes, but if you start a second course then you also have to subtract the number of years' funding that you've already had, as per the calculation I gave above.

If you kept the money that SF gave you in January, then that will be counted as you having started your second year - and a partial year is taken as a full year for the purposes of the SF calculation. If your new degree is 3 years long, that gives you 3 - 2 + 1 = 2.

You really need to contact SF direct in order to confirm anything. You may be able to argue that it wasn't your fault that you had to start your second year before you had the results which resulted in you being withdrawn. However there seems to be little leeway in SF processes, so again, I wouldn't be optimistic. And if they accepted it, then they might expect you to repay the money they gave you pro rata after the point at which you were withdrawn.

Also, what If I don't want a maintenance loan or grant, will I not be eligible for just the tuition fees?

When you apply to SF for your next course, you can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan only. You don't have to take out a Maintenance Loan or have the Maintenance Grant if you don't want them.

However that has nothing to do with the number of years of SF entitlement you have. Taking less money won't give you a longer entitlement. As SF have told you that you still have three years of entitlement, then you could get full funding (subject to the usual criteria) for all three years if you wanted it.

If I was to self fund my first year tuition fees from a loan from family, would I still get a maintenance loan and grant?

Not quite. If you only have two years of entitlement left, then you can get a Maintenance Loan only for the first year - you'd have to fund the tuition fees *and* additional living costs yourself. For the second and third years, you'll be back to your previous full SF funding.

What you choose to fund yourself will make no difference to your SF entitlement.

However if your university confirm that the fees in January were an error as you think they will, then you'll have the full three year entitlement for your next course anyway.

This is the situation... I deferred my exams in August, and was due to sit them again in December. During this period from September to December, I did not attend any lectures or seminars. My results came back two days after student finance sent me my grant and maintenance loan in January. What is the best thing for me to do now? Is there anything I can say or do to get my University to contact student finance and say they shouldn't of given the go ahead to release the funds?