G N I G N A CH E S R U O C R U Ynt O tion Centre ta n e s e r p e R d Advice an Stude
student advice & representation centre
d e e n u o y t Wha to know... If you are unhappy with your course or student life, you may find the information in this leaflet helpful. It may be that you wish to transfer to another course, take time out, change your mode of study, or leave higher education altogether. Before taking any of these steps it is important to consider the possible implications. An important point to bear in mind when considering the options below is that there may be financial implications involved.
You should seek advice, if you are a student from Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands; a European or International student; a postgraduate (including PGCE) student; a student on the diploma course in Nursing or Midwifery or an ‘old style’ funded student (pre Sept 2006) as the information in this leaflet may not be relevant to you.
Transferring Courses If you are seeking a transfer to another course at the University of Nottingham you should initially contact the Admissions Tutor in the School to which you wish to transfer. To transfer you will need to make sure there is a place available and that you have the relevant qualifications for the new course. If they are happy to accept you on to the new course you should obtain a change of course form (obtained from Student Registry or Faculty Office), which should be completed indicating the support of both Schools. Please note that there is no requirement for a School to agree to a course change, and they are free to turn down such requests. It may be that a course is oversubscribed, or a student may not have the admission requirements for a new course. For more information, go to: www.nottingham.ac.uk/quality-manual/study-regulations/changes-ugcourses.htm If you are seeking a transfer to a course at a different university you should initially contact the relevant School/Department at that University to discuss the matter. If you are able to secure a place elsewhere then contact your current school and complete the relevant form available from Student Registry or Faculty Office.
Talk to someone
Taking time out of your course
It is a good idea to speak with someone, such as a friend, family member, counsellor or tutor and discuss how you are feeling about your course and experience of University life. This may help you understand the root of the problem you are experiencing, and help you to consider what it is you want to do.
If you feel unable to continue with your course at the present time,
If you decide that you are not happy on your course, there are several options that you can consider, including:
You should discuss matters initially with your personal tutor, but if you prefer you could contact the Head of the School. Once agreed, you should then arrange the date you will leave and agree a date you will return.
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transferring to another course (at this University or another Institution); taking time out (suspend your studies); leaving higher education.
it may be possible to arrange to take time out. The most common reasons for suspending attendance on a course are illness, personal concerns and financial problems, but a request on any grounds should be considered sympathetically by your School.
Leaving higher education If you are not happy with your course, you may decide to withdraw from university altogether. If you decide to leave your course permanently you should let your Personal Tutor or the Head of School know in writing. However, before doing so we strongly advise you to speak to someone about your options before leaving. You should also inform Student Finance England (SFE) or your Local Education Authority (LEA) and the Student Loan Company in writing that you have left your course.
Financial Matters
You should always notify Student Finance England, or your Local Education Authority, and the Student Loan Company, in writing of any change of circumstances such as transfer, suspension, withdrawal or repeat study.
How will my funding be affected? If you arrange to transfer courses in the first few weeks of your course with a view to starting the new course straight away there are likely to be few financial implications. However, if you need to take time out before continuing your studies or wish to begin a new course, or are repeating part of your studies, you should be aware of the circumstances that could lead to your entitlement to funding being affected, especially if you have ever studied at higher education level before. The current funding regulations mean that the maximum funding available is calculated by: (length of your new course) + (1 year) MINUS (any years of ‘previous study’) NB ‘Previous study’ includes any year which you have been registered on a Higher Education course for one day or more, and in some circumstances will include time spent studying on a part time course of Higher Education.
If your future funding is limited by ‘previous study’ you will have to ‘self fund’ for the first year(s). However, during those ‘self funded’ years you should still be able to receive the maintenance loan and supplementary grants for dependents as these are not affected by previous study. However, previous study does affect entitlement to:
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Maintenance Grant/Special Support Grant; Tuition Fee Loan.
NB: If you already hold an honours degree you will not be eligible for funding for living costs or tuition fee support.
Repeating part of your course Tuition Fee Support is usually not available for any period of repeat study, and support is usually suspended during the period of repeat study and resumed when you return to the next stage of your course. However, if you fail your first year of study and have to repeat all or part of your first year with attendance, you will be entitled to student funding including tuition fee support. This only applies to the first re-sitting of the first year of a first course.
Exceptional circumstances If you have had to leave a previous course; or repeat part of your studies because of ‘compelling personal reasons’ such as illness, pregnancy or family crisis, Student Finance England (or your Local Education Authority) has the discretion to award fee support for a year when you may have had to ‘self fund’.
Taking time out or suspending your studies You can usually only continue to receive student support (loan and supplementary grants for dependants) if you are ‘in attendance’ on your course. So, if you temporarily withdraw you would probably not be entitled to Student Support. Before you temporarily withdraw, you should consider how you will support yourself. To continue receiving your loan, you could ask Student Finance England (or your LEA) to take account of any hardship you may face, the length of deferral and the reason for deferring your studies.
If you defer your studies due to illness, Student Finance England (or your LEA) should continue to pay any student funding for up to 60 days. If your illness will last more than 60 days or you have deferred for other reasons, SFE or your LEA can give discretionary funding. This may be useful if you cannot claim benefits. You should present a strong case with evidence of the reasons you had for deferral of your course.
Welfare Benefits
Changing mode of study If you want to change your mode of study from full time to part time, you should enquire if this possible with your Personal Tutor or Head of School. You may then have two options: 1. Change to a part time course. If your course is offered on a part-time basis it may be possible for you to transfer onto the parttime course. However, the funding for fees and living costs will be affected as part time students are funded differently to full time students. If you are a part-time student you may also be able to claim benefits as long as you fit the usual criteria for claiming. 2. Continue to study on the full time course but on a part time basis. You would remain registered on the full time course, but actually study on a part time basis. The fact that you are registered on a full time course means that you would be eligible for full time funding. However, the amount of full time funding, in terms of tuition fee support, would be limited to the length of the course plus one year, minus any previous years of study. As such, this may not be the most appropriate option if you have previously studied at higher education level, or you intend to spend more than one additional year to complete the course on a part time basis.
If you take time out of your course with the intention to return, you are still classed as a full time student for benefit purposes. You are therefore not eligible to claim benefits (unless you fit the criteria of students who can claim such as single parents or disabled students).
It may also be possible to change from part time to full time. If you are considering changing your mode of study please seek further advice from the Student Advice and Representation Centre.
However, if you are taking time out due to illness or caring responsibilities - which have come to an end and you are waiting to return to your course - you may be able to claim Jobseekers Allowance. You should seek further advice about this from the Student Advice and Representation Centre.
If you decide to transfer away from or leave University, you should also take into account your liability for current and future accommodation. Are you able to terminate you contract or will you need to find a replacement tenant? You should seek further advice about this from the Student Advice and Representation Centre.
Other issues
Student Advice and Representation Centre B Floor, Portland Building, University Park Nottingham, NG7 2RD Tel: 0115 846 8730 Internal: 68730 Email: student-advice-centre@nottingham.ac.uk www.su.nottingham.ac.uk/advicesupport/ All SARC leaflets are available in alternative formats. Please ask a member of staff if you require this leaflet in an alternative format.
student advice & representation centre