Where to start...?
Hello everybody,
Having pondered over the issue for a good couple of years, I have decided that a change of direction - and a degree - is what I need.
I am thirty-two years of age at present. I originally attended university (I studied Law at Sheffield Hallam) back in 1998, and completed my first year. I started my second year but, for personal reasons that I now regret, I dropped out towards the middle of that year. Since then I got a job in retail, worked my way up to management, and had a child. And that's where I am now really, loving being a father but stuck in a job that simply pays the bills and gives me very little satisfaction. My friends and family tell me I am wasted in my 'profession' but, far more importantly, I think I'm wasted!
Law was always a passion, and to an extent it still is; I'm fairly certain that law is still the profession I would like to enter. The question is how this can be achieved? Open University seems the right direction, but it then becomes a matter of funding.
There seems to be a degree of ambiguity to this thorny subject, but from what I can tell the following is true: A full-time law degree takes three years, and I am entitled to tuition funding for the duration of the course plus one extra year (four years in total). However, as I have studied towards two previous years, these are deducted from my allowance. I therefore am eligible for funding for two of the three years the new course takes, or two thirds. Does this sound right?
Further, if I choose to study with the OU part-time, does my funding allowance convert to a proportion of the course length, i.e. if I study over six years rather than three, do I still get two thirds of the course paid for?
I am led to believe that I will have to fund the shortfall portion of the course myself, and the portion paid for me counts backwards from the end of the course (if you see what I mean?) I don't have a huge problem with this, so long as I can get funding for the remainder.
Finally, do I have any options should I choose to study full-time, and work part-time to free up the time needed? This is a possibility as a way of cutting down the overall duration, if there are any specific benefits to it.
Apologies for all the questions, I am eager to get my head around this fully and 'crack on'!
Regards,
Frodo23
Having pondered over the issue for a good couple of years, I have decided that a change of direction - and a degree - is what I need.
I am thirty-two years of age at present. I originally attended university (I studied Law at Sheffield Hallam) back in 1998, and completed my first year. I started my second year but, for personal reasons that I now regret, I dropped out towards the middle of that year. Since then I got a job in retail, worked my way up to management, and had a child. And that's where I am now really, loving being a father but stuck in a job that simply pays the bills and gives me very little satisfaction. My friends and family tell me I am wasted in my 'profession' but, far more importantly, I think I'm wasted!
Law was always a passion, and to an extent it still is; I'm fairly certain that law is still the profession I would like to enter. The question is how this can be achieved? Open University seems the right direction, but it then becomes a matter of funding.
There seems to be a degree of ambiguity to this thorny subject, but from what I can tell the following is true: A full-time law degree takes three years, and I am entitled to tuition funding for the duration of the course plus one extra year (four years in total). However, as I have studied towards two previous years, these are deducted from my allowance. I therefore am eligible for funding for two of the three years the new course takes, or two thirds. Does this sound right?
Further, if I choose to study with the OU part-time, does my funding allowance convert to a proportion of the course length, i.e. if I study over six years rather than three, do I still get two thirds of the course paid for?
I am led to believe that I will have to fund the shortfall portion of the course myself, and the portion paid for me counts backwards from the end of the course (if you see what I mean?) I don't have a huge problem with this, so long as I can get funding for the remainder.
Finally, do I have any options should I choose to study full-time, and work part-time to free up the time needed? This is a possibility as a way of cutting down the overall duration, if there are any specific benefits to it.
Apologies for all the questions, I am eager to get my head around this fully and 'crack on'!
Regards,
Frodo23
Original post by frodo23
Hello everybody,
Having pondered over the issue for a good couple of years, I have decided that a change of direction - and a degree - is what I need.
I am thirty-two years of age at present. I originally attended university (I studied Law at Sheffield Hallam) back in 1998, and completed my first year. I started my second year but, for personal reasons that I now regret, I dropped out towards the middle of that year. Since then I got a job in retail, worked my way up to management, and had a child. And that's where I am now really, loving being a father but stuck in a job that simply pays the bills and gives me very little satisfaction. My friends and family tell me I am wasted in my 'profession' but, far more importantly, I think I'm wasted!
Law was always a passion, and to an extent it still is; I'm fairly certain that law is still the profession I would like to enter. The question is how this can be achieved? Open University seems the right direction, but it then becomes a matter of funding.
There seems to be a degree of ambiguity to this thorny subject, but from what I can tell the following is true: A full-time law degree takes three years, and I am entitled to tuition funding for the duration of the course plus one extra year (four years in total). However, as I have studied towards two previous years, these are deducted from my allowance. I therefore am eligible for funding for two of the three years the new course takes, or two thirds. Does this sound right?
Further, if I choose to study with the OU part-time, does my funding allowance convert to a proportion of the course length, i.e. if I study over six years rather than three, do I still get two thirds of the course paid for?
I am led to believe that I will have to fund the shortfall portion of the course myself, and the portion paid for me counts backwards from the end of the course (if you see what I mean?) I don't have a huge problem with this, so long as I can get funding for the remainder.
Finally, do I have any options should I choose to study full-time, and work part-time to free up the time needed? This is a possibility as a way of cutting down the overall duration, if there are any specific benefits to it.
Apologies for all the questions, I am eager to get my head around this fully and 'crack on'!
Regards,
Frodo23
Having pondered over the issue for a good couple of years, I have decided that a change of direction - and a degree - is what I need.
I am thirty-two years of age at present. I originally attended university (I studied Law at Sheffield Hallam) back in 1998, and completed my first year. I started my second year but, for personal reasons that I now regret, I dropped out towards the middle of that year. Since then I got a job in retail, worked my way up to management, and had a child. And that's where I am now really, loving being a father but stuck in a job that simply pays the bills and gives me very little satisfaction. My friends and family tell me I am wasted in my 'profession' but, far more importantly, I think I'm wasted!
Law was always a passion, and to an extent it still is; I'm fairly certain that law is still the profession I would like to enter. The question is how this can be achieved? Open University seems the right direction, but it then becomes a matter of funding.
There seems to be a degree of ambiguity to this thorny subject, but from what I can tell the following is true: A full-time law degree takes three years, and I am entitled to tuition funding for the duration of the course plus one extra year (four years in total). However, as I have studied towards two previous years, these are deducted from my allowance. I therefore am eligible for funding for two of the three years the new course takes, or two thirds. Does this sound right?
Further, if I choose to study with the OU part-time, does my funding allowance convert to a proportion of the course length, i.e. if I study over six years rather than three, do I still get two thirds of the course paid for?
I am led to believe that I will have to fund the shortfall portion of the course myself, and the portion paid for me counts backwards from the end of the course (if you see what I mean?) I don't have a huge problem with this, so long as I can get funding for the remainder.
Finally, do I have any options should I choose to study full-time, and work part-time to free up the time needed? This is a possibility as a way of cutting down the overall duration, if there are any specific benefits to it.
Apologies for all the questions, I am eager to get my head around this fully and 'crack on'!
Regards,
Frodo23
If you previously studied full time, you can study part time and be fully funded by student finance. Many universities offer LLB Law on a part time basis.
I studied year 1 of LLB Law full time, and am now going to a new university in September to study it part time. It means I can work full time, as well as gain work experience (which is really needed if you want a career in law). Doing it part time benefits you more, in my opinion, as you do less modules per year, so you can concentrate more on the modules you're doing, to get higher marks. (As if you want to get in Law, a 2:2 won't cut it).
If you go to study full time you will have to fund tuition fee's for year one yourself, but you'll get a maintenance loan (no grant). You'll then get full funding for years 2 and 3.
What you said is completely correct, even if you study part-time you will still only be eligible for the equivalent of 2 years, and the latter 2 years (or 4 years if you are doing 50% intensity).
You might also want to consider how you are going to get into Uni to do this. I like you started a degree in Biology and left after year 1 to pursue a career in retail management. I applied this year to go back to Uni in September only to be told by all 5 choices that I wasnt eligible to come back to study as I had no formal study within last 5 years, so now I am going back to do an Access course full time in September, then to hopefully get into a full time degree in 2014. I seriously regret the choices I made, now that I will be 28 this summer, I wish I had never left.
I currently work with Student Loans and I am surprised you are so informed already with this, most people I speak to daily are confused as soon as they think about finance.
Hope this helps a bit.
You might also want to consider how you are going to get into Uni to do this. I like you started a degree in Biology and left after year 1 to pursue a career in retail management. I applied this year to go back to Uni in September only to be told by all 5 choices that I wasnt eligible to come back to study as I had no formal study within last 5 years, so now I am going back to do an Access course full time in September, then to hopefully get into a full time degree in 2014. I seriously regret the choices I made, now that I will be 28 this summer, I wish I had never left.
I currently work with Student Loans and I am surprised you are so informed already with this, most people I speak to daily are confused as soon as they think about finance.
Hope this helps a bit.
Original post by mmckeever
What you said is completely correct, even if you study part-time you will still only be eligible for the equivalent of 2 years, and the latter 2 years (or 4 years if you are doing 50% intensity).
You might also want to consider how you are going to get into Uni to do this. I like you started a degree in Biology and left after year 1 to pursue a career in retail management. I applied this year to go back to Uni in September only to be told by all 5 choices that I wasnt eligible to come back to study as I had no formal study within last 5 years, so now I am going back to do an Access course full time in September, then to hopefully get into a full time degree in 2014. I seriously regret the choices I made, now that I will be 28 this summer, I wish I had never left.
I currently work with Student Loans and I am surprised you are so informed already with this, most people I speak to daily are confused as soon as they think about finance.
Hope this helps a bit.
You might also want to consider how you are going to get into Uni to do this. I like you started a degree in Biology and left after year 1 to pursue a career in retail management. I applied this year to go back to Uni in September only to be told by all 5 choices that I wasnt eligible to come back to study as I had no formal study within last 5 years, so now I am going back to do an Access course full time in September, then to hopefully get into a full time degree in 2014. I seriously regret the choices I made, now that I will be 28 this summer, I wish I had never left.
I currently work with Student Loans and I am surprised you are so informed already with this, most people I speak to daily are confused as soon as they think about finance.
Hope this helps a bit.
I've done as much research as I can, hence the conclusions I came to; I have to say though, there is a fair amount of ambiguity to it all and it takes a fair bit of 'reading between the lines' to get to where I am.
So the last two thirds of my course are likely to be covered by SFE? In terms of Access I will probably be going down the Open University route, as they have no entrance requirements and seem relatively well regarded in the profession. I have spoken to OU and they have said I can register for the course now (part-time, over six years) and then apply for funding from May onwards, which they seem to think I will get.
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