Student Loans

[sheppeyescapee]

So here's the back story, last academic year I had to apply to my LEA for exceptional funding as I had already had 1 resit year when I was doing the foundation science part of my course and needed an extra year because I had had swine flu the first year of my psychology degree. The LEA had approved an extension to my funding as it was extenuating circumstances and said that I would be fine for the rest of my degree. Student Finance England took over all the old LEA caseload part way through last academic year and this is where the problem lies, the old departments that handled this at the LEA no longer exist and according to SFE they only send over the basics of the account not any of the detailed information, that was all destroyed! So when it came to me applying for this academic years funding I applied online as usual as soon as the applications were available, they are now saying that I have to provide the evidence again and they will judge wether or not they will allow me to continue on my course. They are saying that I have one year funding left but that is only available for the last year, meaning that I miss out on the special support grant for this year and would need to find the money for my fees!! They would not be automatically honoring the decision of the LEA despite the assurances from the LEA that I would be good for funding until the end of the my course.

In September my case was passed over to the resolve team whose job it is supposed to be to deal with these cases as there are quite a few of us across the country. They prided themselves on resolving cases within 5 working days, I have had no contact from them whatsoever, it has been 2 months since my case was passed over! I then put in a complaint to their complaints team also claiming to deal with complaints within 5 working days, it has now been over a month since they have had my complaint. They also have not been in contact with me. I got so fed up that I even went through the trouble of writing to my MP, and he hasn't been in contact either. I don't know what else I can do about it! Their lack of response and complete incompetence has me stunned and I don't know where else to turn any more. I'm really worried that the university are going to try to take the fees out of my account in january and there won't be the money there to pay it. I have the advisers in the student welfare and advice service on my side and even they are boggled and outraged and don't know what I should do next.

I need this special support grant to live! I don't lead an extravagant life, we are cutting down where we can, there isn't much else that I can do. I need to buy books, food and the basics and without that extra money I don't know what I'm going to do.

[Jorgie]

You need to ring them and ring them and ring them some more.
SFE are terrible. It took them 14 months to process my initial application, I didn't receive any funding until after I'd finished my last exams of the year. I used to ring them at least once a month because if you don't they just seem to sit there and hope you forget about it.

[Es*]

Basically, exactly the same happened to me (I'm doing a degree over 6 years, instead of 3, but it's still considered 'full time' and was approved and agreed by my LEA (including grant etc) two years ago. All got lost on transfer to SFE.

You need to get your university, and also the disability service and the uni to write to them to support your case. Send regular letters/emails (in writing) chasing it. Phone. Every day. Make sure it's written on your file every time that you phoned. Eventually mine got sorted when I informed them that I had booked a train ticket and had a tent and PA, and would be moving into that afternoon for as long as it took for them to sort it. And then it got sorted... I'm not entirely sure I recommend that approach, but I was desparate... and it did work.

[sheppeyescapee]

Quick update: It is almost all sorted. My fee loan is done, maintenance grant. Just need to send them proof that I'm eligible for the special support grant.