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The Student Loans Company (SLC) and the Department for Education (DfE) have stated that university courses where in-person teaching is only delivered at weekends are classed as distance learning. This matters because distance learning students are not eligible for maintenance loans. ̽»¨ÉçÇø (̽»¨ÉçÇø), along with our partner universities, do not agree with this interpretation of the regulations. In-person weekend study has been an established practice for at least a decade, and we were not given advance notice that maintenance loans would be suspended. 

̽»¨ÉçÇø has been working with each of our partner universities and with legal advisors to challenge this finding. A group of nine UK universities, led by our partner Bath Spa University, has formally indicated their intention to pursue legal action against the DfE and the SLC following the sudden withdrawal of maintenance funding from students studying on weekend-based courses.  

Alongside this, the National Union of Students (NUS) continues to campaign on this issue as the impact of the decision becomes clearer. On 20th April, the DfE announced a change in approach which should offer a resolution to those affected.  However, as of 21st April, no further details have been provided to confirm how this will be implemented.  We will work with our partner universities to provide clarity as soon as possible. 

Student Finance England (SFE) placed all maintenance loans on hold for students studying at the weekend. On 20th April, they announced a change in approach which means that you should now receive your maintenance. However, as of 21st April, we have no details from the SLC to confirm how this will work or how quickly it will be resolved. Our current understanding is that, to receive maintenance, students must have some weekday teaching. 

We and our partners have kept you updated via various regular communications, including emails and announcements, and we will continue to do so. You can also find the latest information in our FAQs, which are updated as new guidance becomes available. We have hosted town hall sessions where students were briefed on the changes, had the opportunity to ask questions, and were able to understand what this meant for them. If you have any questions at any point, please refer to the FAQs or email ·É±ð±ð°ì±ð²Ô»å²õ°ª²µ±ô´Ç²ú²¹±ô²ú²¹²Ô°ì¾±²Ô²µ.²¹³¦.³Ü°ìÌý

No.  Both distance learning and in-person courses are eligible for Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA), so your DSA will be unaffected, and you will not have to pay anything back as a result. 

The SFE and the SLC are providing guidance, but we are aware that some of this has been contradictory. If you are unsure about your situation, you should contact a Student Finance England customer services representative directly. Where we receive clear information from the SLC, we will share this with you. If we do not yet have an answer, we will continue working with the SLC and our partners to get your questions addressed and keep you updated. 

You should have received an email explaining your options and asking you to change your groups. 
 
Information provided by the SLC has confirmed that transferring to at least one weekday in-person teaching session alongside a weekend session is considered 'in-person' teaching.  Changing to a timetable considered by the SLC to be 'in-person' offers the best opportunity to access future funding, SLC hardship support and to complete your studies without disruption. On 20th April, the government informed the BBC that this should be enough to ensure that you are able to access maintenance funding. At the time of writing (21st April) there have been no details provided to ̽»¨ÉçÇø or to our partner universities about exactly how this will work.

Alternative options include remaining on your current weekend timetable without access to maintenance funding, changing to another available group, interrupting your studies or withdrawing from your studies. 

We welcome your feedback to help us improve this page and our ongoing response.  We will continue to make updates based on emerging themes in our interactions with the student body, but we welcome direct feedback on the information you want to see and the questions you want answered. You can also support our lobbying and legal efforts by contacting your local MPs and by signing the petitions. The recent NUS petition has been effective at drawing attention to this issue on behalf of all students affected by the provider. 

We recognise the financial impact this situation may have. ̽»¨ÉçÇø is supporting students who have been affected by the recent SLC decision regarding weekend-only study via ̽»¨ÉçÇø weekend hardship fund grants. This fund is designed to support students who have been significantly financially disadvantaged because of this decision. This fund is intended as a short-term interim solution to cover immediate hardship needs whilst the matter is resolved with the SLC. It is not intended as a long-term replacement for maintenance loans. 

Please check your email for further information about the Hardship Fund. You can submit your application by completing the hardship form, which should be downloaded and returned to us via this email.
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If you have any questions about the form or the application process, please contact us at wellbeing@globalbanking.ac.uk.

We recognise this is a stressful situation, and your wellbeing is very important to us. Please contact the wellbeing team at wellbeing@globalbanking.ac.uk  if you need support. 

We understand that you may wish to raise a formal complaint relating to the DfE’s weekend-only funding decision, and you are entitled to do so. For students studying on programmes validated by any university, you should consult the relevant partner's complaints pages for guidance on how to submit a complaint. Students studying on Pearson programmes can complain under ̽»¨ÉçÇø' complaints procedure. 
 
We, and our partners, have been in touch with the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA) regarding the approach to managing and responding to complaints about this situation. As this is an evolving and complex situation which we are actively working to resolve, we may not yet be able to fully address all concerns. You may therefore wish to wait until further information is available.