Tuition fee loan..luck or misfortune?

[anatomist08]

I am starting a 5 year course in september and have already done one degree. Have been given a full maintanence loan and a tutition fee loan. Studentfinance england told me that the rules have changed and now people who have done a degree and go on to a 5 year med course are entitled to everything!!!!

[samoan]

Hmm, as I said in a previous post, I was in the same situation a couple of months ago when I applied for my loan. I was accepted for both tuition and maintainence. Unfortunately when I looked into it further and clarified it with a senior member of staff at Student Finance England, they assured me that even if you initially slip through the net, you will end up having the repay the tuition loan. They were quite clear about this and my application has been updated accordingly. I have also recieved a letter from the current HE minister stating words to the same effect. Obviously I will give them another ring tomorrow to double check if any rules have changed, but my understanding of it was that there was no plans to change in the near future! Surely we would have heard about it, if there was a national guideline change as significant as that??

So anyway just be careful and make sure its not just a junior member of staff who hasn't got their facts completely straight, I went through a couple like that before I got someone who knew the finer details of a med application.

Fingers crossed they have changed it, but I'm not holding my breath as that would make it just to easy, and the government doesn't seem to like doing that!

Sam...

[hoonosewot88]

I am starting a 5 year course in september and have already done one degree. Have been given a full maintanence loan and a tutition fee loan. Studentfinance england told me that the rules have changed and now people who have done a degree and go on to a 5 year med course are entitled to everything!!!!

That would be great news. I'm the same as you, having done a degree and been offered both maintenance and tuition fees loans and i'm sure as hell not telling them.

[Kinkerz]

I am starting a 5 year course in september and have already done one degree. Have been given a full maintanence loan and a tutition fee loan. Studentfinance england told me that the rules have changed and now people who have done a degree and go on to a 5 year med course are entitled to everything!!!!

I'm now feeling not quite as apprehensive, staring GEM in the face.

[samoan]

Right, I've just got off the phone to Student Finance England and asked to clarify it all with the most senior member of staff I could. As suspected (as is written in all the literature) if you have recieved funding for a previous degree, you will ONLY be entitled to the MAINTAINANCE loan, and NOT the TUITION fee loan! Obviously if your circumstances are a bit different (i.e. not a graduate or didn't recieve funding for your first degree) then this may not be the case, but the lady at SF-E specifically said the above!!!!!! She said if you have ticked the tuition loan box you may be initially approved but will DEF have to pay it back (within the first year!)..

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but it is as I suspected to be honest, like I said we are lucky to even get the maintainance loan by the sounds of it!! I for one don't want to have to pay it all back within the first couple of months, seems like a bit of a waste of time!! I can't see them making a mistake (she assured me they would catch up with you) and letting you slip through the net, especially if there are loads of other graduates struggling in the same position alongside you in the year!