The Student Room Group

Equivalent or Lower Qualification (ELQ)

I started university in September for BA (Hons) Architecture and still not received my loan and it is currently November, nearly three months without any support after I moved from JobSeeker's Allowance Benefits. I have done everything asked to get my loan, but it has still been delayed. I have no money for food and my rent is overdue. They have requested my NARIC assessment evidence and I submitted it all but the ARB didn't accept it all and this is their formal and final response:

"The process used by ARB to determine equivalence is the 'Prescribed Examination' and having passed the examination at Part 1 and subsequently Part 2 level, a Part 3 qualification will then need to be secured from a UK school of architecture in order to qualify for registration. The assessment made by NARIC is weightless for the purposes of registration as an architect, so their findings will not have any bearing on the assessments that we make during the Prescribed Examination process."

So I did exactly what I have been told and applied for Northumbria University, Architecture BA (Hons) course, only to discover that the SFE considers my NARIC is totally acceptable and I shouldn't apply for any further course! Even if the ARB doesn't take it and considered merely a joke. Then, they put me under their ELQ's regulation which denied:
No Tuition Fee
No Loan Maintenance Loan
No Maintenance Grant or Special Support Grant

Meaning I will have to pay the £9250 myself unless I withdraw from the course.
Hope somebody can help me please, If it was my mistake, then why the university accepted my application and offered me a place in the beginning? they should've informed me ahead that I wouldn't need it whatsoever.
(edited 3 years ago)
Original post by Dexter_Mosul
I started university in September for BA (Hons) Architecture and still not received my loan and it is currently November, nearly three months without any support after I moved from JobSeeker's Allowance Benefits. I have done everything asked to get my loan, but it has still been delayed. I have no money for food and my rent is overdue. They have requested my NARIC assessment evidence and I submitted it all but the ARB didn't accept it all and this is their formal and final response:

"The process used by ARB to determine equivalence is the 'Prescribed Examination' and having passed the examination at Part 1 and subsequently Part 2 level, a Part 3 qualification will then need to be secured from a UK school of architecture in order to qualify for registration. The assessment made by NARIC is weightless for the purposes of registration as an architect, so their findings will not have any bearing on the assessments that we make during the Prescribed Examination process."

So I did exactly what I have been told and applied for Northumbria University, Architecture BA (Hons) course, only to discover that the SFE considers my NARIC is totally acceptable and I shouldn't apply for any further course! Even if the ARB doesn't take it and considered merely a joke. Then, they put me under their ELQ's regulation which denied:
No Tuition Fee
No Loan Maintenance Loan
No Maintenance Grant or Special Support Grant

Meaning I will have to pay the £9250 myself unless I withdraw from the course.
Hope somebody can help me please, If it was my mistake, then why the university accepted my application and offered me a place in the beginning? they should've informed me ahead that I wouldn't need it whatsoever.

Hi, if you disagree with our decision and you think it was wrong then you do have the right to appeal the decision. You can find out more information here https://media.slc.co.uk/sfe/nysf/sfe_appeals_leaflet_d.pdf - if you appeal you should provide as much evidence as possible as to why you think our decision was incorrect.
Thanks, Isaac
Original post by SFE Isaac
Hi, if you disagree with our decision and you think it was wrong then you do have the right to appeal the decision. You can find out more information here https://media.slc.co.uk/sfe/nysf/sfe_appeals_leaflet_d.pdf - if you appeal you should provide as much evidence as possible as to why you think our decision was incorrect.
Thanks, Isaac


Thank you for your reply. The issue has been resolved today. Turned out there was a mistake with submitting the evidence.
Original post by Dexter_Mosul
Thank you for your reply. The issue has been resolved today. Turned out there was a mistake with submitting the evidence.

Glad to hear it has been resolved, I hope you have a great weekend :smile:

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