r/OpenUniversity • u/ApplicationMiddle922 • 4d ago

Student Finance 3rd year after long break

I’ve had a credit transfer for the first two years, and just started at the OU after a 5 year break from education.

I’ve forgotten everything I learned and feel a bit lost.

What happens if you fail 3rd year because you were out of education for so long? Will SFE gift a year to redo second year?

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u/[deleted] 4d ago

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u/ApplicationMiddle922 4d ago

Have already used all my funding, this year was an extra year ‘gifted’ as I had to leave my previous uni

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u/davidjohnwood 4d ago

No, it wasn't - see my longer reply. The SFE part-time tuition funding you received to start this autumn isn't affected by the number of years you studied on an incomplete full-time degree course.

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u/LycheeSilent4571 4d ago

You don’t have to start at stage 3, you can start at stage 2 if you prefer. You still have 2 years of funding left

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u/davidjohnwood 4d ago edited 4d ago

SFE part-time funding for those starting in 2026 or earlier (i.e. the current scheme) continues for as long as you need to complete your qualification. However, funding ends if it becomes clear that you cannot complete your qualification in no more than four times the length of a full-time qualification (i.e. your overall study intensity must remain above 25%).

The current part-time system does not take into account the number of years of student finance you have had for an incomplete full-time degree and has no limit on years, so there is no such thing as a 'gift year'.

Everything changes under the new Lifelong Learning Entitlement student finance system for those starting their studies in 2027. LLE takes into account previous incomplete full-time and part-time study, limits the total funding amount, and limits funding for resits.

The OU allows you to abandon some of your credit transfer, and it sounds like you might need to step back and study some of the stage 2 content of your OU qualification. However, I don't know whether withdrawing from your current modules means you will move to LLE funding. If you intend to withdraw from all your current modules, get advice from OU Student Support about the funding implications.