Student Loans - refund process joke

I hate that phrase.

It'll be a sad, sad world when we have not artists, authors or actors.

The measure of success isn't just how much money you can earn.

What's wrong with just studying for something you have a passion for, rather than thinking how much you'll earn doing it?

You can only get a student loan to cover 4 years study, so I don't know how she managed that.

You don't need a degree to be an artist, and many other of those types of professions. It's a huge waste of time and money plus a strain on the university system to push people through it like cattle when there is no need to.
 
You don't need a degree to be an artist, and many other of those types of professions. It's a huge waste of time and money plus a strain on the university system to push people through it like cattle when there is no need to.

Depends on how technical the art is, and whether the kids want to combine it with another subject or not. The current system is getting to the point where it is becoming too pricey for the kind of contact hours and guidance an average arts bod gets, though.
 
I hate that phrase.

It'll be a sad, sad world when we have not artists, authors or actors.

The measure of success isn't just how much money you can earn.

What's wrong with just studying for something you have a passion for, rather than thinking how much you'll earn doing it?

They're useless because once they've left uni they use their degree for absolutely nothing and end up working in McDonalds.
 

An art degree hardly falls into that category though, does it?

My wife got a Bachelor of Arts Honours degree and she's doing ok. Probably earns more than most of the posters on here throwing about the old "useless degree" line. And even if she had a mediocre job, who cares? Success is not defined by how much money you earn. She'd have still have been a better, more rounded individual for attending university and had more knowledge of a subject she loves. Surely that's what's important? What's wrong with just learning for learnings sake?
 
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I hate that phrase.

It'll be a sad, sad world when we have not artists, authors or actors.

The measure of success isn't just how much money you can earn.

What's wrong with just studying for something you have a passion for, rather than thinking how much you'll earn doing it?

It's not only that, it's the idea that a degree doesn't have value to society if it doesn't translate immediately into a better paying job. I tell you this, our society would be a lot better if more people studied history, foreign languages to pick just two examples. The way populations sleepwalk into the same mistakes over and over again through not being familiar with history, not understanding politics, or simply lacking outside viewpoints (which if you're bilingual are a lot easier and more natural to get hold of than if you only speak English). A population that is focused only on vocational subjects is a population that our government will run rings around. Oh wait... A good grasp of logic, politics, history, culture... You need a certain level of these things in society because the only defences against populist, soundbite politics and dumbed down media, is an educated population. Nothing else works.
 
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If you're only earning £14k, you're not paying anything back - so surely that's the same as having no loan at all?

Not really. You always have it hanging over you and it means whenever you DO start, you're that many years behind where you would be. Finally earning enough to save for a house for example? Nope, student loan kicks in.

You still have to run the race. Not having started yet isn't the same as having finished.
 
A good grasp of logic, politics, history, culture... You need a certain level of these things in society because the only defences against populist, soundbite politics and dumbed down media, is an educated population. Nothing else works.

+1

But we're way off topic now, so I'll refrain from further discussion - or maybe I'll start a new thread.
 
This thread doesn't fill me with much confidence. Only got £1600 left to pay on mine (£60 a month from my salary) I was looking to clear mine early next year once I've cleared some existing debt.
 
I finally paid the remainder of my student loan on 22/02 and even received a "congratulations" over the phone.

Advise from the person I spoke to at SLC regarding claiming back the money that would be taken in my March pay was to create a letter with my student support number, name and DOB. I also had to enclose the March payslip and state 'refund' in the letter.

I was then to post it to
100 Bothwell Street
Glasgow
G2 7JD

This was done however I received a letter dated 16th March that I had almost paid my loan off. I contacted them on 26/03 and was advised to ignore this letter however to claim get a refund SLC would require ALL payslips since April 2015. Different advise from before.

Its a good job I have them and can photocopy them all to submit. I imagine I will need to do the same when I pay off more of my loan in April :confused:

Has anyone else had a similar experience when attempting to claim back money from Student Loans Company?

This is why they recomend you switch do direct debit when youre close to paying it off.

At least they recognize thier incompetence
 
I was close to paying mine off, got a letter saying "hey switch to Direct Debit so we don't take too much back", phoned them to set that up, was told it had been done, then got a letter saying they couldn't set it up as there wasn't enough left to pay off so they would just have to hope they didn't take too much. Then I saw that the DD had been created in my bank account so I deleted it and got a letter through asking me why I'd done that, followed by a letter dated two weeks prior confirming that Direct Debit had been set up.

I finally got it sorted on the phone, the money stopped being taken exactly when they said it would, I got a letter confirming that the loan was paid, and I think there was about 20p left of the balance.

They are however wholly incompetent.
 
Backtracking over the thread - University is not just about learning from your course. I learned many life lessons at uni / being away from home - managing money, paying bills, socialising with all walks if life etc.
I graduated with a pretty good degree (2:1) and now have a job i both enjoy and pay is quite good too. It allowed me to clear most of my loan off in a year anyway - on the downside I get less tax relief so have to pay more towards benefits for those who got a 2:2 in media studies :p

...i'll submit all may wage slips and report back when its sorted and i eventually have my refund
 
Backtracking over the thread - University is not just about learning from your course. I learned many life lessons at uni / being away from home - managing money, paying bills, socialising with all walks if life etc.
I graduated with a pretty good degree (2:1) and now have a job i both enjoy and pay is quite good too. It allowed me to clear most of my loan off in a year anyway - on the downside I get less tax relief so have to pay more towards benefits for those who got a 2:2 in media studies :p

...i'll submit all may wage slips and report back when its sorted and i eventually have my refund

Just make sure the guy on the other end of the line isn't related to royalty, and doesn't have an offshore account where you can temporarily park your refund. :p
 
I found it all a massive faff; they gave me a refund about a year or so after I'd paid it all off but the 'stop' on new payments took another two months to complete, so I then had to claim a further refund.

All in all I think it was about 18 months after I had fully repaid the debt that my account was finally back where it should be (I say that, but having just logged on apparently they still owe me 14p....)
 
I phoned up the other week, as it stopped on my payslips. Got an instant refund of £1300, and still owed from this pay year. I've to send my payslips off but it sounds like a hassle, I'm sure if I just wait till the end of the pay year (now, I think anyway) it should've updated on their system and I'm due another £500.

Nice easy saving account :p
 
I phoned up the other week, as it stopped on my payslips. Got an instant refund of £1300, and still owed from this pay year. I've to send my payslips off but it sounds like a hassle, I'm sure if I just wait till the end of the pay year (now, I think anyway) it should've updated on their system and I'm due another £500.

Nice easy saving account :p

Automation and self-service in this area cannot happen fast enough!
 
An art degree hardly falls into that category though, does it?

My wife got a Bachelor of Arts Honours degree and she's doing ok. Probably earns more than most of the posters on here throwing about the old "useless degree" line. And even if she had a mediocre job, who cares? Success is not defined by how much money you earn. She'd have still have been a better, more rounded individual for attending university and had more knowledge of a subject she loves. Surely that's what's important? What's wrong with just learning for learnings sake?


Because of the cost. You can learn everything that is part of a university course without going to university.

The reason people in general isn't for the knowledge, it's for the bit of paper at the end of it all.

I learn for the sake of learning, and I enjoy it. It however doesn't cost me anything but my own time.
 
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