Repeating Study

Repeating your studies

If you are unsure about repeating your studies you should first speak to your Guidance Tutor or Programme Leader to discuss issues you may have and any alternative options available to you. Once you have made your decision, your School Office will complete a Change of Circumstances Form which will be sent to Student Finance England* to notify them of the changes.  You should also let Student Finance England* know yourself that you are repeating.  You can do this by filling in a Change of Circumstances Form (C01), available to download at the Student Finance England webpage.

 

Future support & the Previous Study Rule

You should be aware that if you have to repeat all or part of any year of study then your remaining entitlement to financial support will be affected.

Eligible students are entitled to financial support for the length of their programme plus one additional year, minus any years of previous study. This is known as the ‘Previous Study Rule’.

Example 1:

a student on a 3 year programme does not pass her 1st year, and in order to continue on the programme she has to repeat her 1st year from the following September. She is entitled to a further 3 years financial support.

3 yr programme + 1 additional yr - 1 yr previous study = 3 yrs remaining financial support (3+1-1=3).

Example 2:

a student does not pass the 2nd year of his 3 year programme for the second time and has to repeat part of the year again the following September. He will be entitled to 1 year of financial support for the remainder of his programme.

 3 yr programme + 1 additional yr - 3 yrs previous study = 1yr remaining financial support (3+1-3=1).

The student in the above example would only receive financial support in year 3 of his programme and will be required to support himself in his repeat year. Where a student is required to support themselves for any year of their programme, this will always apply to the earlier, rather than later years of the programme.  During any ‘self funding’ years, students will not be able to receive fee support in the form of a Tuition Fee Loan or any Maintenance Grant. Under the current rules, eligible students can continue to receive the Maintenance Loan until they have an honours degree.

Please Note:

The information above sets out the basic principle of the Previous Study Rule. However, the interpretation of this regulation is not straightforward and there are a number of exceptions / variations which may apply, depending on your circumstances. If you are considering other options such as transferring programmes or withdrawing from your programme you should speak to Welfare & International Support for advice on your individual funding status and circumstances.  We would also recommend that you speak to your Student Finance England* to double check your remaining funding entitlement before making a decision to repeat a year of your programme.

 

Repeating on a part-time basis

Your Programme Leader will advise you how on much you need to repeat, if not the whole of the year. If you are only repeating only part of the year and attend on a part-time basis, depending on your pattern of attendance you may still be able to apply for financial support as a full time student.    

 

Repeating Study and Tuition Fees

If you are repeating the whole of the academic year, you will usually be charged tuition fees for the whole year. If you are repeating part of the year, your tuition fees will usually be calculated pro rata based on the length of time you will actually be in attendance.  

 

Where to get help

Welfare & International Support Advisers are available in Student Services to give advice and information on the financial implications of repeating study.

 

Contacts

Welfare and International Support
Ground Floor
Northumberland Building
City Campus
Tel: 0191 227 4127

Student Services
Allendale Building
Coach Lane Campus
Tel: 0191 215 6590

Email address: sv.welfareandinternational@northumbria.ac.uk
 

*New Students in 2010/11 will apply to Student Finance England. 

* Students who started between September 2006 and before September 2009 will apply to their Local Authority (or Student Finance England, depending on where they live).

*UK Students from outside England should contact the following agencies:

N. Ireland:          Education Library Board / Student Finance NI

Wales:              Local Authority / Student Finance Wales

Scotland:          SAAS (Students Awards Agency for Scotland)   

<< Back to previous page