Friday 19 September 2008
To: Principal contact for OFFA / Managers responsible for access agreements Dear Colleague
Deferred students: If you have changed your bursary since they applied, which bursary should you give them?
Several institutions have contacted us to ask what the situation is regarding deferred students. If you have adjusted your bursary scheme following the changes to student support thresholds in 2008, which bursary should you give deferred students – the one in place at the time they accepted your offer or the one in place when they start their studies? We have now consulted with Universities UK and the HEBSS Steering Group and this guidance note sets out our advice on the situation.
The decision rests with you
Our position is that it is for individual institutions to decide which bursaries to give to deferred students. You should make your decision on the basis of reasonableness and the timing and clarity of information you have given to deferred students, particularly if your bursary has decreased. It may be reasonable to change your bursary offer to deferred students We think it is reasonable to change your bursary offer to deferred students provided that: you alerted deferred students to any negative changes in their bursary entitlement within a timetable that would have reasonably allowed them to apply elsewhere and/or there were caveats in your original offer that your bursary might change, or was not finalised for 2008 However, we do not think it would be reasonable to change your bursary offer if such caveats existed only in the small print. Nor do we think institutions should expect applicants to be unreasonably proactive in finding out about changes to their bursary entitlement.
You may want to consult your student union
You may want to test your position with your student union before deciding which bursary your deferred students are eligible to receive. We will also be happy to discuss the reasonableness of your draft policies. Please be aware that if a deferred student decides to challenge you on a changed bursary offer and you cannot resolve the matter to their satisfaction, they may take the matter before the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education.
Looking to the future
Going forward, you need to make sure you provide clear and accessible information on what bursary package deferred students can expect, preferably direct to deferred students. This information should make it clear to students that your bursary package is linked to their year of entry (or application if this is what you decide). If, when you offer a deferred student a place, you have not yet finalised the bursary package that will apply to their year of entry, you need to give them full details as soon as the package has been finalised. If you have any queries about this matter, please contact Jean Arnold on 0117 931 7053 or jean.arnold@offa.org.uk. Yours sincerely Jean Arnold