How to appeal grant refusal

ditzyfairy

I got a letter today saying I was being refused the grant

(my story is I done one year of a level 6/7 course 5 years ago, at the time I didn't receive any financial aid and had to pay my own way through the course, I didn't pass 1st year and chose not to do the repeats as i'd decided the course wasn't for me. So now 5 years on i've applied as a mature student to a different course. I applied for BTEA and to SUSI to cover my student contribution.

I rang SUSI today and was told that because my course has the optional add on year to make it a level 8 course which I intend on doing I have a good case for appeal.

So can anyone advise me on how to go about the appeal best? How should I word the appeal?

Yuugib

Hi,

My grant application was declined this year as well, but for different reasons (income). I've emailed the SUSI support and explained everything.
They got back to me nearly straight away and told me that they will review my case. Few days ago a lady from the office rang me and advised me to fill in a new application and that they've made a mistake. Hopefully will be all good now!

So my point is I guess, just write to them and explain your situation. Use bullet points

Good luck!

saltyporridge

OP if you've had a break in studies (i.e. haven't been in full time education for any of the past five academic years) of at least five years since your last course you may be eligible as a 'second chance' case.

I hope the relevant section from the 2012 Student Grant Scheme is of some help to you with your appeal. It is on Page 11, 'Classes of Applicant', Section 13(6) and says that:

A mature student pursuing an approved course following a break in studies

of at least five years, in circumstances where the mature student previously

attended, but did not successfully complete, a course and is returning in order

to pursue an approved course in the relevant academic year, shall be known as a “second chance student”.

ditzyfairy

Yuugib wrote: »

Hi,

My grant application was declined this year as well, but for different reasons (income). I've emailed the SUSI support and explained everything.
They got back to me nearly straight away and told me that they will review my case. Few days ago a lady from the office rang me and advised me to fill in a new application and that they've made a mistake. Hopefully will be all good now!

So my point is I guess, just write to them and explain your situation. Use bullet points

Good luck!

thanks for your reply, I rang SUSI today and told them the story and they said as it was i didnt qualify but i could appeal based on the course having the possibility to be a level 8 so we'll see

ditzyfairy

saltyporridge wrote: »

OP if you've had a break in studies (i.e. haven't been in full time education for any of the past five academic years) of at least five years since your last course you may be eligible as a 'second chance' case.

I hope the relevant section from the 2012 Student Grant Scheme is of some help to you with your appeal. It is on Page 11, 'Classes of Applicant', Section 13(6) and says that:

A mature student pursuing an approved course following a break in studies

of at least five years, in circumstances where the mature student previously

attended, but did not successfully complete, a course and is returning in order

to pursue an approved course in the relevant academic year, shall be known as a “second chance student”.

thats what I thought too but it was 5 years since i left the course i had done back in May I might call again tomorrow and see what they say to that

saltyporridge

Did some counting on my fingers there to go back the five years - I think if you left your first course before the start of the 2007/08 academic year you would have a case. Good luck with it! BTW don't forget that you can always appeal to the Department of Education directly if you're not happy with the outcome from the grant authority.

ditzyfairy

saltyporridge wrote: »

Did some counting on my fingers there to go back the five years - I think if you left your first course before the start of the 2007/08 academic year you would have a case. Good luck with it! BTW don't forget that you can always appeal to the Department of Education directly if you're not happy with the outcome from the grant authority.

yes it was 06/07 year i attended, I got a letter from the college for the new college stating I left in may of 07

saltyporridge

In that case I'd appeal on those grounds and follow it through (if necessary, but hopefully not) to the Department itself. Quote the section from the Scheme (you'll find it on the studentfinance website) in your appeal letter and send in a photocopy of the college letter. I hope it works out for you!

ditzyfairy

saltyporridge wrote: »

In that case I'd appeal on those grounds and follow it through (if necessary, but hopefully not) to the Department itself. Quote the section from the Scheme (you'll find it on the studentfinance website) in your appeal letter and send in a photocopy of the college letter. I hope it works out for you!

thanks saltyporridge

Do you think I should appeal on that alone or add that the course i'm opting for has the level 8 option as well?

saltyporridge

I read that in your original post - I'm not too sure where they're getting that from as I've not seen it as a reason for granting an appeal before but if they mentioned it to you as a possibility I'd put it in. If it's not in your appeal they definitely won't consider it and it might just be what puts you over the line.

ditzyfairy

yeah it didnt make much sense to me either

from what I understood was because the course could be defined as level6/7 or level8

I wonder is it possible to get a transcript of the phonecall from SUSI so I could quote the person I dealt with (who was also conferring with her supervisor)

saltyporridge

It might be no harm giving them a call to find out. I doubt they'd have a call transcript (I could be wrong about that though) but they might have put a note on your application file and someone could go through it with you again. I'll do a little more research into it on Monday and pm you if I find something that might help.

ditzyfairy

saltyporridge wrote: »

It might be no harm giving them a call to find out. I doubt they'd have a call transcript (I could be wrong about that though) but they might have put a note on your application file and someone could go through it with you again. I'll do a little more research into it on Monday and pm you if I find something that might help.

That wud be brilliant thanks, I think susi are open tomorrow so ill give them a call to see what they say about 2nd chance student

ditzyfairy

So I rang susi this morning but the person I was talking to didn't have a clue what 2nd chance student meant, I tried reading the paragraph from the student grant outlines about 2nd chance student but he wasnt interested he just kept repeating that the course I intend on doing is the same level as the one i failed to complete so am not eligible

saltyporridge

That's mad but I've heard that the helpline is contracted out to a call centre so I'm not surprised. Based on the year you dropped out you have good grounds to appeal as a second chance case - the appeals section in the Dept definitely will know all about it (but you have to appeal to SUSI first).

ditzyfairy

ah that would explain it alright

saltyporridge

Went through the info I have today and cannot figure out where that advice about the add-on Level 8 is based on. The scheme says that some one who didn't complete a level 6/7 course must complete an equivalent period on a level 8 before being eligible for a grant. This appears to be the opposite of what you were told but SUSI could be interpreting it differently. Try to get talking to one of the SUSI supervisors and see if the person you talked to earlier kept a record of their advice. Are you being charged tuition fees (on top of the registration fee) by your new college? If not (because of the letter your old college gave you) you're second chance under the Free Fees Initiative & should be a second chance case for grant purposes too. Sorry I've no more for you - let me know how it works out and good luck with the studies

ditzyfairy

saltyporridge wrote: »

Are you being charged tuition fees (on top of the registration fee) by your new college? If not (because of the letter your old college gave you) you're second chance under the Free Fees Initiative & should be a second chance case for grant purposes too. Sorry I've no more for you - let me know how it works out and good luck with the studies

Hi SP thanks for looking that over for me. My tuition fee's are being covered by new college under second chance student. I done out the appeal today based on that and added at the end that the course has a possibility of being a level 8 as well so here's hoping

saltyporridge

Good luck with it!

achmairt

ditzyfairy wrote: »

So I rang susi this morning but the person I was talking to didn't have a clue what 2nd chance student meant, I tried reading the paragraph from the student grant outlines about 2nd chance student but he wasnt interested he just kept repeating that the course I intend on doing is the same level as the one i failed to complete so am not eligible

He is making a mistake Get talking to a supervisor or the student support office in the Dept of Education 05793/25317. You are allowed to get a grant under the 'second chance student' clause. After a five year break from college where you got no qualification, you can get a grant no matter what level it is. I don't know where that level 8 stuff came from.

ditzyfairy

achmairt wrote: »

He is making a mistake Get talking to a supervisor or the student support office in the Dept of Education 05793/25317. You are allowed to get a grant under the 'second chance student' clause. After a five year break from college where you got no qualification, you can get a grant no matter what level it is. I don't know where that level 8 stuff came from.

Thanks i've since spoken to Dept of Education, person in the college and a SUSI supervisor and all didnt see how i'd been refused as it was clear I met all the terms of 2nd chance student so just waiting for them to get through the appeals