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University course funding

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Barmymoo:
Basically we can get funding for one year longer than the expected duration of our first undergraduate degree. I am doing a three year course over four years, because I had to intermit last year, so I can't take any more time out or I won't be able to graduate (unless I pay everything myself, without any loans or grants). You're not expected to take more than 3 years to do your undergrad, or 4 if it's a four-year course. We don't have the same system as in the USA where you can just keep going and going until you've accumulated credits - you do a specific set of exams each year and then you're done.

Interesting how different everything is!

(Thanks Paul)

lepetitfromage:
I agree, it's definitely interesting to see how this kind of stuff works in other countries. When you sign up for a course, are all of your classes for the next 3 or 4 years predetermined? Or do you have the option of choosing from a selection of certain ones as long as they fit the requirement? For example...I had to take a 4 art history classes- everyone in my program had to take History of Western Art 1 (Egyptian to Medieval)  and 2 (Renaissance to Modern). Then we could choose any other 2 art history classes that were offered by our university. I chose Modern and Far Eastern. Do they offer you those options or is it just kind of "Here are the classes you get, pick the time slots you want"?

When you said you do a specific set of exams, it made me curious as to whether or not everyone who is in the same place in your course is expected to take the exact same set of exams as everyone else.


--- Quote from: Barmymoo on 25 Jan 2012, 15:27 ---Basically we can get funding for one year longer than the expected duration of our first undergraduate degree.

--- End quote ---

Does the funding cycle start over if you decide to get a second bachelor's degree? Or a master's degree? Or are you stuck paying those on your own?


For some reason this is fascinating to me, I'm sorry if I'm asking too many questions lol

Barmymoo:
Basically you apply to do a specific degree. I chose law when I was 17, and applied to five unis. They all offered me a place and I chose one. First years all do the same papers (might not be true of EVERY degree but it is of most) and then you will generally have some compulsory ones and some optional ones which you choose at the end of each year for the next year. But they will be the papers offered for that subject and it's rare for there to be any crossover. I'm doing one which the sociology & psychology degree also offers and we take it together, but that's unusual. So basically you are tied to a specific subject from application, unless you are allowed to switch midway.

Funding - we're charged a LOT less than US students, I pay about £3,550 a year (it goes up each year by about £200) but students starting next year or maybe this year will pay £9000 a year, big dramarama about that. The Student Finance company will give everyone loans and grants for their first undergraduate degree and then if you want to do another you're on your own. Graduate degrees usually come with funding, you have to find that and apply for it and I know nothing about it I'm afraid. Luckily for me, my midwifery degree which is another undergraduate one willl be NHS funded so I do get financed, but that's not normal.

Ask away! Sorry if this is clogging up the thread, Paul and IICIH, feel free to bump us out if you like. How does it work over there if you've reached the limit for your federal loans?


Oh also, we don't get to pick our timetables. Lectures are at a particular time and that's it. It works because you can't take more than a specific combination of subjects so they can plan it to suit everyone. Classes are arranged with your supervisors and there are usually only four people in each one so again, easy to sort.

schimmy:
I'm not so sure about it being the case that in most degrees first years all have to do the same thing. I imagine it depends heavily upon what institution you're in, and also what degree you're doing, but everyone I know who did a BA rather than a BSc had a fair amount of room to take optional classes.

lepetitfromage:
Most of the time, we have to apply to specific degrees as well but our schedules are a lot more flexible. We're given requirements related to that degree program but a lot of them aren't time sensitive (unless you need certain prerequisites). In addition to that, you have the general education requirements- everyone has to take at least 2 English classes, 1 math, 1 science, 2 social science and 1 foreign language. Sometimes you can find a school that will allow you to be undeclared but I've always been in a specific program, even when I wanted to be undeclared because I hated my major and couldn't decide what to change it to (FIT wouldn't allow it).

I think the more specialized schools here take a similar approach to yours- I had to apply to my major before I actually applied to the school itself. That was tons of fun....between the 2 essays, multiple furniture sketches and grueling portfolio review....urgh. Then, at the end of each semester we were given our "blocks" for the following semester- our specialized class schedule that couldn't be changed- after which we decided what else we wanted to take and whether or not it would fit into our schedule.

I graduated from SUNY New Paltz and their approach was much different. We were given a list of courses that we absolutely needed to graduate and then we sat down with an advisor to plan out how we wanted them scheduled. The initial plan covered all 4 years (or however long you needed to finish your # of credits) and you followed it as best you could. Sometimes classes would fill up quickly so you'd need to push something back and replace it with another class. It was nice to be so involved in our scheduling but it had the potential to be a giant pain in the ass.


Over here, tuition really depends on whether you go to a public or private school. When I was in high school I wanted so badly to go to Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. My parents pleaded with me to look elsewhere after we found out that tuition alone was $32,000 a year so I applied to FIT (which, although it's strictly an art school is actually part of the SUNY system- short for State University of New York aka a public school). Tuition there was $6,000 a year. When I transferred to New Paltz I could take a lot of my credits with me (except for the really specialized courses like "Design, Color and Lighting Principles and Theory"...those ended up being electives lol).


I typically ended up with between 8,000-10,000 in financial aid per year because I made sure to apply for enough to cover most of my living expenses. After we jump through all the paperwork hoops, the funds get disbursed to the college and then whatever money is left after tuition, fees and room and board (if applicable) gets released to us. We have grants too, but they are a LOT harder to come by. I think at most I may have received a total of 2,000 in grants over the course of 6 years. We're also offered work study, where we are basically just employed by the college for the semester, but it pays peanuts compared to other jobs. I was approved one semester but decided not to do it because I had another job that paid more (and because of that, was not offered work study for the following semesters). After we reach our limits I think we just don't qualify for financial aid anymore. It could just be that we can't receive any more federal loans, which usually have a lower interest rate and allow you more repayment options than loans from private lenders. I only have one private loan- from CitiBank. And they suck. I can't wait to pay that one off!!!


Lucky for you that your degree is covered! That's so awesome :-)
(And ok....4 people per class??? I am SO jealous. I was in a lecture once where the teacher was still asking us our names during the very last week)

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