Student Loan

[bubbsie1]

Not sure if posting in the right forum here; if not perhaps one of the site team could move this for me please.

 

My Niece has slight learning difficulties (that's why I am posting for her) but finally after struggling for many years through the education system managed to obtain a place on a photography degree course at a well known London Universiry. She had a small grant for her living costs and paid the first years course fees with a £4.000 student loan.

 

Once the course had begun she realised the majority of the work was not practical (as she had expected) but consisted mainly of essays on theretorical elements of the arts, something she found extremely difficult (one of the essays was on Plato's Cave).

 

To cut a long story short, she tried to speak to her Tutor without sucess, she found him intimidating and unwilling to listen and felt bullied by him.. She did approach student services who were ready to step in but after suffering the trauma of an industrial tribunal (which she won) some years ago; she couldn't face the rigors of another formal comp[laints procedure so just picked up her things and left.

 

Now she has a student debt of £4.000 for just over 2 months of attendance,only leaving because she felt her tutor made it impossible for her to remain.

 

Is there anything we can do about this?

[alfwithhair]

Any refund of the tuition fees paid would be at the descression of the college or university.

 

The terms and conditions of study vary between different instituions, so you best bet would be to contact the place of study direct and see if any refund is possible based on the curcumstance.

 

The normal method of paying tuition fees is the institution is paid by Student Finance in 3 installments over the academic year. If you leave within 2 months of starting the course, the 1st installment would not be sent, so leaving the student liable for the first 2 months fees.

 

Remember to inform student finance that she has left the course.

 

"advised that if any student withdraws or intercalates before 1 December of the Academic year and has applied for a tuition fee loan, this will not paid to the University by Student Finance. Payment of any pro-rated fee will therefore become the immediate responsibility of the student."

[bubbsie1]

Hi AWF

 

i thought it might be a long shot; on a closer inspection of her attendance it seems she was there for a little over four months and so all of the first year course fees have been paid for the first year.

 

If only she had told sooner about the problems she was experiencing.

 

thanks for your help