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Student Finance England - a law unto themselves?
I have tried to find a post relating to Student Finance England reclaiming tuition fees and maintenance loans/grants, hoping to identify someone with sufficient knowledge / experience to advise or even repesent me. I have provided a (nearly) brief overview of the problem below. Please help if you can - the current situation is, quite literally, ruining my life.
SFE concluded last year that I made a fraudulent claim for DSA (disabled students allowance) reimbursement for approximately £750 (as part of a wider expenses claim exceeding £3,500). Everything I claimed for was a genuine expenditure, for permitted items and within the limits set. Based on their "accusation", they have reclaimed a full year's tuition fees previously paid to the university (who are now pursuing me independently to pay the outstanding fees), demanding repayment of a full year's worth of maintenance loans and grants and have refused the full expenses claim, including nearly £3,000 which has not been disputed by them and made it clear that any future student loan request would be refused.
Besides the shame and anguish their accusation is causing me, they have also prevented me from pursuing a PhD; my university offers free tuition for students who achieve a first class degree which I had planned to take advantage of, together with a little financial support from SFE - neither of which are available to me.
I need my life to move forward, but feel this situation is like a ball and chain around my neck. I have not had the opportunity to defend myself against their accusations and, if they had passed this to the police, I would have at least had that. As it stands, they're acting as judge, jury and executioner and I need to find a way to make them look at how ridiculous their actions are - if I were "guilty" I would like a jury of my peers to find me so, not one person? team? whose agenda may not be entirely pure and is certainly not clear. Either way, the punishment by far exceeds the "crime" and I hope someone here can help me make SFE rethink this.
SFE concluded last year that I made a fraudulent claim for DSA (disabled students allowance) reimbursement for approximately £750 (as part of a wider expenses claim exceeding £3,500). Everything I claimed for was a genuine expenditure, for permitted items and within the limits set. Based on their "accusation", they have reclaimed a full year's tuition fees previously paid to the university (who are now pursuing me independently to pay the outstanding fees), demanding repayment of a full year's worth of maintenance loans and grants and have refused the full expenses claim, including nearly £3,000 which has not been disputed by them and made it clear that any future student loan request would be refused.
Besides the shame and anguish their accusation is causing me, they have also prevented me from pursuing a PhD; my university offers free tuition for students who achieve a first class degree which I had planned to take advantage of, together with a little financial support from SFE - neither of which are available to me.
I need my life to move forward, but feel this situation is like a ball and chain around my neck. I have not had the opportunity to defend myself against their accusations and, if they had passed this to the police, I would have at least had that. As it stands, they're acting as judge, jury and executioner and I need to find a way to make them look at how ridiculous their actions are - if I were "guilty" I would like a jury of my peers to find me so, not one person? team? whose agenda may not be entirely pure and is certainly not clear. Either way, the punishment by far exceeds the "crime" and I hope someone here can help me make SFE rethink this.
