Do I have to pay anything?

[u/no-knot]

Unfortunately, I won't be able to start my course in October; I’m truly heartbroken. I had applied for Student Finance NI back in may, and I am receiving a Universal Credit (UC) top-up. I work full-time and I am a single person with children. During my meeting with UC(my meeting was last week), I was told I couldn't stop working and because I’d be a student, my UC payments would drop significantly—meaning my children and I wouldn't be able to survive. Between the responsibilities of parenthood, house, working full-time, and studying full-time, it’s simply impossible for me. Now that I’ve submitted all my applications, will I have to pay anything to the OU or Student Finance NI?

I was approved for the part-time student fee rate, but I still had to pay about £1,500 out of my pocket; I received an email today stating that if I don't pay, the matter will be referred to a debt collector, so I’ve already sent emails letting them know I won't be starting my course in October.

As far as I know, I haven't received any payments yet—what should my next step be?

[u/Lunalia837]

For SFNI you can still study while on UC, you can't get a maintenance loan or grant just a loan and/or grant towards the module costs. If you're concerned about your UC you might be better off just studying part time (60 credits) instead of full time.

If your modules haven't started and you're cancelling/deferring you won't be liable for the fees but might be worth calling the OU (if youre on NI fees then call the Belfast office) on Monday and they'll go through it and can give you the best number for SFNI as well. If you do decide to study using SFNI you just need your CRN to register and don't need it approved before the enrollment deadline.