The Student Room Group

Switching course Or changing university - Will I still get student loan?

Hello,

So I am doing a LLB law degree and last year was my 2nd year (3rd yr starts in 2 weeks), I bearly turned up to any lessons and missed all the exams and the resits. This was due to to personal problems and the university would not exempt me from exams. I also needed to go a module which I failed from year 1 again in year 2 or was told that if I do not pass it I will have to change course. So due to my problems, I missed it. I checked the website today and I have been removed from LLB law and put onto year 3 of a combined studies course.

During this time, I have also applied to do LLB law at another university but from year 1.

My question is this, I signed my student finance form last week and sent it back but I want to see what you guys think would be best to tell student finance so that I can get my maintence grant/loan.

Should I tell them that I have changed my course from LLB law to law + (subject) joint honours? at the same university? Would I still get my loan/grant?

Should I just tell them I am restarting the course at another university? Will I get loan/grant? I was told by a friend they do not pay loans if your doing another degree or the same.

Should I change to a totally new course at the same university and tell them?

I am going to that new university to do my LLB law, so that is why I need my loan/grant because it was worth £5,800 and if I pay off £3,000 to restart my law degree at that new university, I will have £2,800 left over for living expenses (trains etc).. so what is the best option?

And yes I am looking for a job, but I need this to come through.

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Reply 1
I rang up my student finance ppl when i changed uni's and they sent me a form to fill out. So ring them up and request the form, or go on their website.
Yup, as long as you're doing a course in Higher Education, you get a loan.
Reply 3
RightSaidJames
Yup, as long as you're doing a course in Higher Education, you get a loan.


So if I do the same course again at a different university I get the loan because I never finished it in my previous one? You sure...?
Reply 4
Jeev
I rang up my student finance ppl when i changed uni's and they sent me a form to fill out. So ring them up and request the form, or go on their website.


Yeah but did you re-do the course at the new uni or start a new one?
Jinxed
So if I do the same course again at a different university I get the loan because I never finished it in my previous one? You sure...?


As long as you're studying any course and can prove that you are, you get up to 4 years' worth of loans. You could be an utter failure of a student, but as long as you can convince somewhere to take you each year, you're fine.
Reply 6
RightSaidJames
As long as you're studying any course and can prove that you are, you get up to 4 years' worth of loans. You could be an utter failure of a student, but as long as you can convince somewhere to take you each year, you're fine.


I will be ringing LEA in the morning, you might be right and they might pay if your doing a DIFFERENT course but I am pretty sure I have read numerous times they don't pay loans for the years you have done the same course. So if you did law yr 1 and 2 and then left and re-did it elsewhere, they would not help you into you get into year 3.

So would my best option be to tell them that I am going into a combined?
Reply 7
So nobody has any idea what I should tell them?
Reply 8
im in the exact situation mate and im really worried. i did different courses for 2 years at salford. but now ive decided to do a different course at a different universirty. I rang my lea up and they say i will have to pay my tuiton fee loans my self and i do not recieve any grants or tution fee loans :frown:
Reply 9
babyface797
im in the exact situation mate and im really worried. i did different courses for 2 years at salford. but now ive decided to do a different course at a different universirty. I rang my lea up and they say i will have to pay my tuiton fee loans my self and i do not recieve any grants or tution fee loans :frown:


Damn man. I rang LEA and they told me they will pay if I changed my course but if I did the same course at another university then my loan will be reduced.I think the person I spoke with gave me some incorrect info because I told him even if I went back to year 1 I would get full funding and he said yes, which cannot be true considering LEA only provide you with 4 years of funding, so if they funded you for 2 years already, they will only fund you years 2 and 3 and not year 1.

I think the best option for me to change my course at the same university from an llb law to a combined and try and get my credits also moved, that way I should still be regarded as year 3 or worst year 2 which should in throery under the "4 year funding" rule still get me my loan and grants.

But I am worried, really worried. Nothing has gone right for me this year, so I don't expect much.
Reply 10
babyface797
im in the exact situation mate and im really worried. i did different courses for 2 years at salford. but now ive decided to do a different course at a different universirty. I rang my lea up and they say i will have to pay my tuiton fee loans my self and i do not recieve any grants or tution fee loans :frown:


Also From what I have made of LEA so far, you won't get funding for year 1 but will for year 2/3 because they have funded you 2 years worth already out of 4.
yea thats correct. yea this news has just made my year go from bad to worse. il now have to find £3150 tuiton fees from soenwhere to pay the uni and also money to fend for my self. im reallly worried helppp lol?
Reply 12
babyface797
yea thats correct. yea this news has just made my year go from bad to worse. il now have to find £3150 tuiton fees from soenwhere to pay the uni and also money to fend for my self. im reallly worried helppp lol?


Yeah I am bricking it aswell, my new university wants £1,046 on 28th nov as first payment.

I just hope my current university puts me into year 3 or 2 and that LEA accept that and give me what I am entitled to.
will i get anythin then from lea? last 2 years ive got a mainatnce loan which i got 2680 a year but this year i also applied for the miantaince grant which i wil be elgiable for this year as my parents earn less then the threshold. So does this mean i wont even get that? Also wil i get a bursary from my uni? OMG im totally screwed. i dnt even have a job and i dnt wana tell my parents
Reply 14
babyface797
will i get anythin then from lea? last 2 years ive got a mainatnce loan which i got 2680 a year but this year i also applied for the miantaince grant which i wil be elgiable for this year as my parents earn less then the threshold. So does this mean i wont even get that? Also wil i get a bursary from my uni? OMG im totally screwed. i dnt even have a job and i dnt wana tell my parents


From what I can tell, you'll got nothing from LEA for your first year.
Reply 15
I have been reading;

http://www.nus.org.uk/en/Student-Life/Money-And-Funding/Im-changing-my-course-or-need-to-repeat-a-year/

And it says here;

However, if you need to repeat any further years, you will only receive support if you can prove to the local authority or Student Finance England that compelling personal reasons, such as illness or caring responsibilities, caused you to repeat. If you can’t do so, you should still be entitled to a loan for living costs for the repeat year, plus any relevant supplementary grants.

If your new course is longer than the old course, you will receive funding for the ordinary duration of the new course plus one year, less any years of previous study.

If the tuition fee on your new course is higher than on the old course, you will be able to increase your fee loan to the new amount.





I am confused.
Reply 16
I'm in the same boat as you mate, there's no way around it. Believe me, I've tried.

I did 2 years computing now have changed to Advertising and Marketing starting this month.

The way it works is you can have up to 4 years worth of loans/grants/tuition fee's. However, if you change your course after 2 years, you will have to pay for the 1st year of your new course your self. You will get no tuition fee loans or grant. You are however entitled to a student loan (£4566 maximum for the year depending on your parents income). You will get your normal loans/grants/tuition fee's for the final 2 years of your new course.
Reply 17
Shaneo85
I'm in the same boat as you mate, there's no way around it. Believe me, I've tried.

I did 2 years computing now have changed to Advertising and Marketing starting this month.

The way it works is you can have up to 4 years worth of loans/grants/tuition fee's. However, if you change your course after 2 years, you will have to pay for the 1st year of your new course your self. You will get no tuition fee loans or grant. You are however entitled to a student loan (£4566 maximum for the year depending on your parents income). You will get your normal loans/grants/tuition fee's for the final 2 years of your new course.


Yep but I have done 2 years and am changing course BUT they are putting me in the 2nd year of the new course. So therefore I should get all the loan/grant/normal loans etc right...? as 2nd + 3rd of my new course would equal 3rd and 4th entitlement years?..
yo shane are u sure its £4566 of loan i will receive even if im in a uni outside of london and my parents earn less then the minimum threshold? so i wil have to pay tution fees from that amount? Also will i stilll get a bursary from my UNI?
Reply 19
babyface797
yo shane are u sure its £4566 of loan i will receive even if im in a uni outside of london and my parents earn less then the minimum threshold? so i wil have to pay tution fees from that amount? Also will i stilll get a bursary from my UNI?


He said you don't get any loans or grants but get a student loan of £4566 which I have never heard of. I hope he comes back and explains more because there is obviously the student loan £3145, Mainloan £2500 and Maingrant £2900.