Student Loans - Not arrived, what to do ?

[Brains]

Hi anyone know about Student Loans ?

My sister is a single Mum, no job, three kids living hand to mouth existence, it's not a case of 'no savings' it's more a case of can she lay her hands of £5 right now, with an answer of 'probably not'.

Her number one daughter, my 18 year old niece has gone to University, her Student Loan has not yet come through, I have so far had to loan her £400 deposit for her student digs (as her Mum could not afford the deposit and could not qualify as a guarantor she could not get into the halls of residence) I have now also had to pay her third months rent (£200 x 3), so a grand so far.

I now fully understand why poorer families can not send kids to University, as this sort of cash is simply not available to loan out whilst waiting for the paperwork.

Is it normal for it to be November and money that should have arrived in July or August still not to have arrived ?
What I would like to know is who can she chase up to get the money ?
Should she move into a cardboard box and see what the local soup kitchen has to offer ?

(If it was not for a Uncle with cash in the bank she would have been forced to have left before she even arrived, is this normal ?)

 

[vernon]

The university should have a student welfare office that can pursue things on her behalf. They can also make short term loans.

 

[Maverick Goose]

I know the wheels of bureaucracy turn slowly, but no, that kind of delay isn't normal.

 

[fossyant]

The Student Loans company can be a nightmare. She needs to keep phoning, or indeed needs someone else to help. Certainly speak to student welfare at the University. Very similar happened to my nephew, although for not as long.

 

[PK99]

Hi anyone know about Student Loans ?

snip

(If it was not for a Uncle with cash in the bank she would have been forced to have left before she even arrived, is this normal ?)

No it's not normal - at least from my sample of 2 (Oxford 5 years ago, Portmouth currently) both had prompt payment​

 

[biggs682]

The university should have a student welfare office that can pursue things on her behalf. They can also make short term loans.

exactley

 

[mr_cellophane]

Student Loans are a target for phishing scammers. Make sure she hasn't had any emails asking her to confirm her student number etc.
Facebook is a ready source for these scammers to get a list of who is off to Uni. They get the login details from the student, then change the bank account to theirs.
My daughter got caught. The SL company sorted it out pretty quickly once they had been told what happened.

 

[akb]

Tell her to contact the Uni straight away and explain the situation. They should be able to help. I had the same issue and the Uni lent me a short term loan. (This was 9 years ago though so things may have changed)

 

[P.H]

All the above and well done for helping out

 

[trampyjoe]

Don't get me started on those cowboys at student finance. I spent my last year borrowing money to pay for my daughters childcare (thousands of pounds) to be told by SFE at the end of the year something like "sorry, although it's taken us a year to process your claim and although we told you we were going to loan you money, we've actually decided that now you're in loads of debt (due in some small part to our advisors saying thinks like 'yes you're entitled to this money we've just lost your forms/paperwork haven't recieved your forms/paperwork and as soon as they come in we'll pay you) you owe us half the money we gave you last year".

Incidently I never got to finish my degree due to stress (having no money and feeding a family will do that to you) and I'm still thousands in debt to SFE.

 

[green1]

I know the wheels of bureaucracy turn slowly, but no, that kind of delay isn't normal.

It was when I was at uni 10 years ago. They were quick enough to chase you for fees though.

 

[surfdude]

our son last year after lots of phone calls and e.mails final got his loan at the end of April . we complained as we had spent so long maxed out on the overdraft and had some bank charges they gave us £100 to cover them . you need to keep at them all the time and try to speak to the same person . good luck with it

 

[Brains]

I just thought I'd update this thread, as I am now a wiser person.

The money still has not arrived, but they are 'hoping' to send it before Christmas, so only six to eight months late, with no hint of a grovelling apology and payment for abysmal service.

What I have learnt is:

• University is back to being for rich kids only
• The Government very obviously have a policy of significantly reducing the current University population back to the top 10-15% of the population who can afford it
  
• If as an 16-17 year old you have not got access £5,000 in cash, don't bother to apply
• As a student a full time job is a requirement (or have rich parents)
• As a student be prepared to slum it, I don't been dodgy digs, I mean cardboard box on the street.
  
• Find the local soup kitchen and see if you can get food handouts
  
• The number of Students who leave in the first few weeks due to non-payment of loans is 'not available' (but I understand it's a double figure percentage)
• The Student Finance operation is in complete disarray, if it was a commercial operation the regulators would have closed it down last year.
• I don't think any politician, banker, person working for the Student Finance operation, or any person who has had to deal with them would disagree with the term 'Not Fit For Purpose'
• All the major commercial high street banks were asked to run the Student Finance operation, most put in bids, all were turned down by the government as they cost too much. the Government came up with a much cheaper option. However it does not actually work, you can't run a bank on the cheap, just ask any of the experts.
• Finally Student Finance are blatant racists. My niece despite being as Cornish as you can get, red hair and all, has a 'foreign' sounding first name, an obviously non-English surname, and to cap it all was not born in the UK (English parents, and she has been here since she was a few weeks old). She has had to send in her passport (twice), get her passport officially verified, attend an interview to verify that the person on the passport is the person applying, and then wanting to know if she can be put with the foreign students (and their fees). Amazing and very sad.
• In short, if Daddy and Mummy don't have the cash, don't apply.

 

[Bromptonaut]

I wouldn't be quite as negative as the OP but. there's a lot that's not right.

My two are both at Uni, one a fresher, the other in final year and at Liverpool Hope and Sheffield Hallam respectively.

Their maintenance loans just about cover rent in halls or private lets and most but by no means all other costs. Instalments from SFE however mean they're short of cash early in year and until 3rd payment comes in. ATM I'm sending them each £120 a month but then I'm not feeding them at home or paying the extras like music lessons I was when they were at school. Also subbing them rail fares and clothing from time to time. They will refund some in summer.

Daughter's loan has always been straightforward but it took ages to get son's properly linked to mine and partner's income. Different people told us different stuff and I provided income details three times (on paper as the on line system would not work). The complaint, which had to come from him, remains unresolved.

There's no recognition of differing parental expenditure either. As a commuter I was spending more of my net income on travel than on my mortgage. If I'd earned my London salary locally and/or been mortgage free I'd have been much better off but without ANY recognition of that. Now I've taken redundancy as early pension my income has dropped hugely but no travel, no pension contributions and much less tax/NI means I'm little worse off.

The system is barking.