Student loan application got refused, what do I do now?

Hello everyone,

I had applied for a student loan as a Non-EU family member of an EU citizen in August 2019. But since my age was over 25 and I could not prove direct financial dependence on my father even though I live with my EU citizen father, the application was refused.

By then, I have already enrolled and my course had started. So i decided to continue and choose to self finance for the first yaer, thinking - I will be eligible for loan in the second, as my ILR would come in a month or two. I got my ILR in December 2019.

I just completed my first year. I was planning to apply for student loan again for my second year and I have just found out that I will not be eligible for student loan again, because I got my ILR few months after the course had started. Now I am pretty much facing the possibility of quitting my study.

What do i do now? I am extremely stressed right now. Please give me some advice.

1) Should I re-apply for the student loan within my current Uni for the second year fee?
2) Should I drop out and Apply to join a new University and try transfering credit from my current Uni? Will I be able to apply for student loan for the new university as I have previously studied one year at a UK uni?
3) Should I try joining a distance learning uni which would be cheaper?

I am in need of your kind advice.

Call the ukcise student advice line. They’ll be able to explain your options and the costs associated with each choice.

I have just called student loan help line, the person there has given me some generous/strange advice. He adviced me to talk to my current University and request them to get enrolled again in the same course but start from second year. So in this case my course start date for the first academic year will be september 1st, 2020 and I will be eligible for maintenance and tution fee loan for remaining of my study.

I wonder if this is possible! It will save my student life. I already contacted my Uni and they are checking if they can do that. Can someone from Student finance please confirm if this is possible?

Yes it is possible but only if your university withdraw you from the course and then you apply again, as you would need to be classed as a new applicant.

If you then start the exact same course but from the second year then our assessors will most likely see this as a continuing application so they would probably query this with the university to find out what happened and I don't think you would be accepted as a new student in that scenario in my opinion.
Thanks, Isaac

So, if I change my subject to a related subject and get a offer letter for the second year, then i will have more possibility of getting approved?

I wouldn't like give my opinion on that as I don't want to advise you to withdraw from your course as that's not something we should be encouraging applicants to do.

What I can say is that:
At the moment you are classed as a returning applicant and your eligibility is from the first day of the first academic year of your course.
For you to be classed as a new student in the 2020/21 academic year, it is only possible if you withdraw from your previous course. As a new applicant your eligibility would be from the 01/09/2020, your previous study will count towards your eligibility.
Thanks, Isaac

Hello Again,

I have taken your advice and asked my uni to withraw me from my previous course and re-enrol me into a new course this year. My new course starts from 2020 (this year). They have given me direct entry to year 2 after I applied using UCAS. I have UCAS offer letter at hand. Minutes ago when I was trying to use the online applicaton form of the student finance website to apply for student loan - I was asked "Which year of your course is this application for?" I have selected "Second". That's when I hit a road block. The form says "You can't apply online as you have not been resident in the UK for long enough." I have been in the UK since November 2014.

Now what do I do? Am I not allowed to join straight to second year of a new course and be eligibl for student loan?

Hi, well that was not my advice as I advised against withdrawing.

If you withdrew from your previous course then you will need to apply as a new student. Please call us on 0300 100 0607 or message us on Facebook or Twitter so we can review your account.
Thanks, Isaac

I have called your colleague. I have been advised to apply using the PN1 paper form. I will do just that. Thanks for your help.