Awarded full tuition but £0 maintenance

To be fair I applied for my degree on Boxing Day and it starts 1 Feb 🤓

I have been awarded full tuition - studying with the OU part time but first year I’m doing the same as a full time student.

I receive Pip and I have sent back my medical declaration also as well as uploading my pip entitlement letter.

I live at home outside of London. But I’m over 25 and have supported myself since I was 18. I only moved home due to a terrible breakup last year.

Am I entitled to a maintenance loan with the special support element? Also, is it normal to be awarded £0 and then it be changed?

Reply 1

Stephen SLC

Official Rep

Hi Belles84x, students studying at the Open University can apply for the Tuition Fee Loan and Disabled Students Allowance. They are not eligible to receive the Part Time Maintenance Loan unless they are studying a distance learning course due to having a disability which prevents them from attending a standard university. Do you have a disability that prevents you from attending university? Stephen

Reply 2

Belles84x

Original post

by Stephen SLC

Hi there Stephen,

Yes, I do. I’ve recently had confirmation that I will get DSA and I also sent back my medical form signed by my Dr to confirm my long term disability. I’ve also been unable to work for over 28 weeks due to this and I’ve sent in all my fit notes as well as my PIP award letter to SFE.

I’m just getting rather anxious as my course starts on 31st Jan and it is still showing as £0.

It seems to be taking forever to assess and I’m
Feeling rather nervous now that I’m not going to be awarded a maintenance loan.

I moved home last year but have supported myself since I was 18. I also sent in my HMRC details for the required 23/34 financial year to show my earnings were under £25k. I believe this means I am an independent student.

Can you advise at all on how long it will take to reassess my application? Thank you!

Reply 3

SFE Jason

Official Rep

Original post

by Belles84x

Hi there Stephen,
Yes, I do. I’ve recently had confirmation that I will get DSA and I also sent back my medical form signed by my Dr to confirm my long term disability. I’ve also been unable to work for over 28 weeks due to this and I’ve sent in all my fit notes as well as my PIP award letter to SFE.
I’m just getting rather anxious as my course starts on 31st Jan and it is still showing as £0.
It seems to be taking forever to assess and I’m
Feeling rather nervous now that I’m not going to be awarded a maintenance loan.
I moved home last year but have supported myself since I was 18. I also sent in my HMRC details for the required 23/34 financial year to show my earnings were under £25k. I believe this means I am an independent student.
Can you advise at all on how long it will take to reassess my application? Thank you!

Hi Belle,

When did you send us back your letter from the GP and have we requested anything further since then? Thanks, Jason

Reply 4

Belles84x

Original post

by SFE Jason

Hi Belle,
When did you send us back your letter from the GP and have we requested anything further since then? Thanks, Jason

Hi Jason,

I sent back a medical form to you around 22nd and this morning I received another email with a completely different medical form to complete and send back. And now my GP isn’t back until Monday. Im just so frustrated.

Reply 5

SFE Clare

Official Rep

Hi Belles84x,

I understand and appreciate your frustration. The medical declaration form for the Part Time Maintenance Loan is a different form from the DSA one. If the assessors emailed you with the form and requested that you upload that for review, it is likely that it is needed to be able to award you with the Maintenance Loan. If you are able to get that completed and uploaded soon, our current timescales are around 7 working days at the moment, with subject to change depending on our current volumes.

https://logon.slc.co.uk

Thanks, Clare

Reply 6

Belles84x

Original post

by SFE Clare

Hi Belles84x,
I understand and appreciate your frustration. The medical declaration form for the Part Time Maintenance Loan is a different form from the DSA one. If the assessors emailed you with the form and requested that you upload that for review, it is likely that it is needed to be able to award you with the Maintenance Loan. If you are able to get that completed and uploaded soon, our current timescales are around 7 working days at the moment, with subject to change depending on our current volumes.
https://logon.slc.co.uk
Thanks, Clare

Thank you Claire. My GP isn’t back till Monday so I’m hoping that it’s done and I can upload the same day as I’ve said it’s very urgent. I know it will confirm I have a disability and that I cannot attend at a brick uni.

With my PIP award letter and fit notes to show that I’ve been off for nearly a year due to my disabilities, will this qualify me for the special support loan too? I’m
Not sure how much that is. I’m also studying 120 credits in the 25/26 year which is the same as a full time student. Does this impact the amount of the normal maintenance loan due to my study intensity?

Reply 7

SFE Clare

Official Rep

Hi Belles84x,

Unlike maintenance funding for full time SFE students, a higher amount of PTML is not available for students who are eligible for benefits. Instead, part time students who are eligible for benefits will have part of their PTML disregarded by the Department of Work and Pensions as student income for maintenance when their benefits are calculated. This amount of the PTML is the Special Support Element.

Thanks, Clare