An update from Your Students’ Union about the recent exclusion of students due to tuition fee debt.
We are aware that the University has excluded a number of students due to outstanding tuition fee debts and you are now wondering what does that mean for you if you have been excluded.
What does being excluded mean?
When you enrolled onto your course, you agreed to the University terms and conditions around tuition fees (which includes a strict schedule of payment), which can be viewed here for all parts of Coventry University Group.
Exclusion means that you will lose access to classes, IT systems, library and recreational facilities within the university. You will also not be able to submit coursework, re-enrol or graduate until the balance has been cleared. These restrictions will remain in place if you fail to pay.
You can still access support from Health and Wellbeing and you can find details of their services and how to contact them below if you are a:
Coventry University and CU Coventry Student
Coventry University London Student
CU Scarborough Student
CU London (Dagenham) oe CU London (Greenwich) Student
I want to pay, how do I do this?
The quickest way to make a payment is via Convera and you can do this by following this link.
I’m unable to pay, what support can I get?
Unfortunately, there is no financial support that either Your Students’ Union or the University can offer to help with paying your tuition fees.
If you cannot pay your tuition fees, please contact the Finance team and let them know. You can contact them directly by completing the Finance Support Form, and they will prioritise responding to enquiries from students who have been excluded.
This is not something Your Students' Union are able to do and you will need to speak with the university's finance team about this by completing their contact form above.
As you are excluded, you are also unfortunately not eligible for any financial support from the University regarding living costs. If you are facing general financial hardship (difficulty paying living costs due to an unexpected financial circumstance), once you have made your tuition fee payment , we can outline some of the financial support available to you.
Is there any impact on my visa?
If you are an international student and studying on a Student visa, and do not bring your unpaid balance up to date, this may result in you being reported to the Home Office, and the cancellation of your Student visa, should it reach a point where you are no longer a student of Coventry University.
We are not licensed to offer visa or immigration advice so for any questions about the potential impacts on your visa, please contact the Visa team by emailing visahelp.io@coventry.ac.uk.
What does this mean for my assessments?
We cannot, and the University will not, reinstate the access to Aula until a tuition fee payment is made. Therefore, you will be unable to submit your assignments at this time.
If you have an assignment due and were unable to submit due to being excluded, once you have paid your fees and been given access to the systems again you can apply for a deferral so you still submit your work.
You can do this using the student portal and Your Advice Service have information and guidance here on how to do this.
What other support can I get now I’m excluded?
Mental Health Support
If you are unable to keep yourself safe, please:
Dial 999.
You can also present at Accident and Emergency at University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire or your local Accident and Emergency Dep[ar where you can be seen by a Mental Health Practitioner.
Helplines:
· NHS Mental Health Crisis Service in Coventry on 08081 966798 or the number in your area
· Samaritans – a national listening service 116 123 jo@samaritans.org
· If you are experiencing a mental health crisis in Coventry and Warwickshire, you can contact Wellbeing for Warwickshire on 0800 616 171- 24 hours a day, 365 days a year (free from a mobile 0300 330 5487)
· Papyrus HOPELINEUK (9am – midnight all year): Tel: 0800 068 41 41
· CALM helpline (5pm – midnight, all year): Tel: 0800 58 58 59
Websites:
· Students against depression - https://www.studentsagainstdepression.org/
· No Panic - https://nopanic.org.uk/
· Online wellbeing mental wellbeing community - https://www.kooth.com/
Apps/Webchats:
· Text SHOUT (24 hours a day, all year): Text ‘SHOUT’ to 85258 to be connected to a trained volunteer.
· CALM launch web chat… | Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) (thecalmzone.net)
· Headspace will help you with mindfulness, it’s worth looking at but if you don’t like it there will be plenty of others you will be able to access for free online.
Other Support
Finances:
Emergency Food Support:
You may be able to get help from your local Foodbank Warwickshire County Council www.warwickshire.gov.uk/foodbanks 01926 410410
Coventry City Council www.coventry.gov.uk/directory/111/social-supermarkets-food-hubs-and-foodbanks/category/2309
Housing:
- Shelter – homelessness and housing support - https://england.shelter.org.uk/
- Your Advice Service – free and confidential advice if you are facing issues related to your housing.
Central England Law Centre – legal help and support - www.centralenglandlc.org.uk/ (Call on 02476 223053, Emergency only helpline: 0808 800 4444)
Refugee and Migrant Centre – supports and advises refugees, asylum seekers and other migrants. If it is not safe for you to return to your home country, they can explain your options to you - https://www.covrefugee.org/
What are Your Students’ Union doing?
We are in conversation with the University about the impact on students and the circumstances around their inability to pay. If we have any updates, we will post these on our website (www.yoursu.org) or via our social media channels. If you would like to get in touch with Your Advice service on this matter you can contact us here.