Help - advice needed about finance for university (mature student)

[DragonPoop]

Hi everyone,
I’m a regular poster on other peoples threads but have never started my own - I could really use some advice!
I desperately want to go to university to get a BA, but I’m not sure if I would be able to get funding (and unfortunately I wouldn’t be able to afford to do it without)
I first went to university when I was 19 and did a year of a BA in English before I unfortunately dropped out (due to my father passing away)
I also then a few years later studied towards a HNC in Scotland (I’m from England) in a fairly niche/specialist subject, which used a years worth of student finance, however when I signed up for the course I believed it would be a 3 year course that at the end would mean I would get a BA, however at the end of the first year they cut the student numbers down and let a number of us go and we could not continue the course.

From what I can gather online, student finance will finance 4 years of study, but that’s it, is this correct?
Would this mean I could only get 2 years of my BA with student finance and would have to pay for the remaining year myself?

I have also since done a years course which gave me a vocational certificate/diploma (in a very specific field) that is held in high esteem but only in that specific field.

I know I may sound flaky with my past attempts at education, but life and circumstances unfortunately got in the way.
I’m now 10 years older, settled, with a family and I really want to further my education and better my career prospects.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you

Hi there, I'm pretty certain you can get funded for 4 years undergraduate study. I think this enables people who change their mind after a year to complete another degree. I'm not sure if the same rules apply if 1 of your years of study was in Scotland.

I'm a mature undergraduate student and there are a few of us who did a year of another degree before commencing this one. We have all been able to access 4 years worth or student finance.

Thank you @KingsArmy, yes I’m not sure if the year in Scotland counts or not as it was technically using student finance. I suppose I will have to contact someone at student finance and find out!

You can usually have four years (or the length of your first course+one year if longer) so you would have two years left. However you have to pay the first year yourself and then access finance for the second and third.
However, since one was in Scotland I’d double check this with Student Finance