Susi Unfair 3 year break

mr_paddy

Hey gonna try and keep this short.

I first began college in 2010 with a grant and dropped out later that year. I went through 2 years PLC without a grant.. then 2 years of work.

Now I have decided to go back to college and apply as a mature independent student. I've been living independently since 2013.

SUSI says that since I have not had a break in my studies for 3 years I have to apply as a mature dependent student...

So now my independent income and parent's income is combined in final the outcome..because of a unfair three year break rule. This i find is an unfair assessment that is making no sense as I have worked hard to do this myself.

I have appealed to susi about my suitution multiple times and kept getting refused. I have now went to the student appeals board about my case and waiting for a response.

I want to know if anyone has gone through this or any handy info about getting around the 3 year break rule.

Thanks.

jackinthemix94

There is no getting around it. It is what it is. The SGAB is designed to rule on whether SUSI has correctly assessed your situation or not (basically). By the sounds of it, they have - the rules state you need to take a 3 year break and you haven't

SGAB won't rule in your favour if SUSI have assessed you correctly.

Airyfairy12

The whole grant system has been changed and it gets tighter and tighter every year, it wouldnt surprise me if theyre moving towards scrapping grants and free fees altogether. As the last poster said, theres no getting around it, ive tried and failed.

Sup08

Airyfairy12 wrote: »

The whole grant system has been changed and it gets tighter and tighter every year, it wouldnt surprise me if theyre moving towards scrapping grants and free fees altogether. As the last poster said, theres no getting around it, ive tried and failed.

The grant system has only changed in the way it is processed by on Authority which makes the application more robust and consistent. The actual criteria for grant assessing AFAIK hasn't changed since 2000.

Airyfairy12

Sup08 wrote: »

The grant system has only changed in the way it is processed by on Authority which makes the application more robust and consistent. The actual criteria for grant assessing AFAIK hasn't changed since 2000.

It has changed. Grants for postgrads have been scraped in the last couple of years, the income threshold to receive the Susi fee contribution towards postgrads has become smaller and smaller over the last few years and the covering amount has been reduced, the maintenance grant was cut in 2010/11, I know that for a fact because I was living off it at the time.
Besides this Hdips and masters that were very recently 1 year courses and cost between 3 and 6 thousand are now two year courses costing anything from 8 - 12 thousand and fees are going up across the board while the grants system gets tighter.

Sup08

The grant system has not. The assessment in law remains the same.

I never stated that the amounts or recipients have not changed.

The changes that you refer to are by way of Statuary Instrument called the Student Grant Scheme (reviewed annually by budget changes) and the Student Finance Act 2011.

As the original question or query by the OP was with regard to the 3 year rule, this has never changed.