A question about : University stated incorrect tuition fees
I was living in Bermuda for 20 years and after my divorce I moved back to the UK as I am a UK citizen.
My daughter came with me in Aug 2010 (she was born in Bermuda and has Bermudian and UK rights). My daughter was accepted in University and applied for the student loan. The student loans kept telling us that her application was still being processed and that she would get her loan by the first week in Oct 2012. My daughter signed contracts with an agency for her apartment in Sept 2012 and then after many phone calls to the student loan office, they declined my daughter’s loan stating she was not born in the UK and had not been in the UK for 3 years. Although they had originally told her that she would get it in Oct (hence we signing apartment contracts) and also her application online had also stated they had all the evidence required.
I have no money, no job therefore I cannot get a loan for my daughter. However, her Bermudian father owes me maintenance and I got legally help in Bermuda so I could apply the maintenance towards my daughter’s tuition fees.
My lawyer needed for court a letter from the University stating the 2012/13 fees for my daughter. (Which the university supplied which stated Ј3465 for tuition fees for 2012-13). My daughter queried the amount as we thought it would be Ј9000. The university administration told my daughter that Ј3465 was the correct amount.
Therefore my lawyer went to court with the university letter as evidence/proof of tuition fees in order to get this amount from my daughter’s father. This process has been very taxing mentally and financially. My daughter’s fees are due on Nov 12, 2012 and when she went to pay online Ј3465, the amount has now been changed to Ј9000 by the university.
Now my court case was seen on a urgent priority basis due to the fact that the court hearing had to be heard before the university fees were due. I am not in a position mentally or financially to go back to court to say the university has now changed their minds on my daughter tuition fees. I also cannot get a loan for my daughter, due to my hardship circumstances. My daughter, cannot get a student loan because she was denied due to not being in the UK for 3 years although this was after the fact she had already registered with the university.
I just want the University to honour the Ј3465 which we have in writing for this year 2012-13. Otherwise it will be financially and mentally devastating to both me and my daughter.
Please help us.
Best answers:
- Get the father to pay.
- basic research would have told you long ago that she was not eligioble for an SLC loan - the 3 years residency rule is very clear
https://www.sfengland.slc.co.uk/frequ.../applying.aspx
"Generally, on the first day of the academic year in which your course starts, you must have been 'ordinarily resident' in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for the three years immediately before starting the course - and not wholly or mainly for the purpose of receiving full-time education"
If you say you have a letter statuing 3465 for 12/13 then you have a letter, frankly I am flabbergasted that any university would have sent such a thing given we have all been planning for the 12/13 fee increase since 2011. I'm not saying you don;t have such a letter, but I'd be amazed if there isn't some small print saying those fees are subject to change.
You may have a case against the university depending on the wording of the letter but morally you should be chasing the father not a UK university for your pickle - Maybe your daughter could get student funding from Bermuda? After all, that is where she has lived for most of her life.
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