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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Student Emily Hughes denied loan due to namesake | Student Emily Hughes denied loan due to namesake |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| A student has been unable to get a loan for university because someone with the same name, birthday and born in the same area has already applied for one. | A student has been unable to get a loan for university because someone with the same name, birthday and born in the same area has already applied for one. |
| Emily Hughes, from Smethwick, West Midlands, was told by the Student Loans Company in April she could not be registered on its system. | Emily Hughes, from Smethwick, West Midlands, was told by the Student Loans Company in April she could not be registered on its system. |
| She has now sent them her passport in the hope of being recognised in time to study medicine in Birmingham. | She has now sent them her passport in the hope of being recognised in time to study medicine in Birmingham. |
| Miss Hughes, 18, said she was fed up with the way she had been treated. | Miss Hughes, 18, said she was fed up with the way she had been treated. |
| "It's been chaos," she said. | "It's been chaos," she said. |
| "Just so much unnecessary stress and it's quite embarrassing as all my friends are sorted with their loans, but not me." | "Just so much unnecessary stress and it's quite embarrassing as all my friends are sorted with their loans, but not me." |
| 'Living with fear' | 'Living with fear' |
| When she applied for a loan in April, Miss Hughes was told she could not get a customer reference number because there was someone with the same name registered on the system. | When she applied for a loan in April, Miss Hughes was told she could not get a customer reference number because there was someone with the same name registered on the system. |
| Although her name is not that unusual, Miss Hughes said she was surprised to discover there was someone who was also born in Birmingham on the same date as her. | |
| "I don't know anything about her," she said. | "I don't know anything about her," she said. |
| "I'd love to meet her, but at the same time I wouldn't." | "I'd love to meet her, but at the same time I wouldn't." |
| Miss Hughes finds out if she has got her place at the University of Birmingham on 17 August, depending on her A level grades, and then she would need to enrol in September and pay £9,250. | Miss Hughes finds out if she has got her place at the University of Birmingham on 17 August, depending on her A level grades, and then she would need to enrol in September and pay £9,250. |
| "I am now currently living with the fear of not having the means to finance my prospective degree. | "I am now currently living with the fear of not having the means to finance my prospective degree. |
| "I am appalled with the way this organisation functions." | "I am appalled with the way this organisation functions." |
| Student Loans Company said once her passport arrives her application will be processed. | Student Loans Company said once her passport arrives her application will be processed. |
| "We apologise to Miss Hughes for any distress caused as a result of the delay in processing her student finance application. | "We apologise to Miss Hughes for any distress caused as a result of the delay in processing her student finance application. |
| "This was the result of a human error when transferring Miss Hughes' paper application to her online account." | "This was the result of a human error when transferring Miss Hughes' paper application to her online account." |
| One man, who asked not to be named, contacted the BBC to say he fell victim to the same situation when trying to help his son get a loan last year. | |
| "I had to go on the website and put in my income details so that he could be means tested," he said. | |
| "It wouldn't let me register on the website. I rang them up and apparently there was already an account in my name. Same name, including middle name, same date of birth and same place of birth. | |
| "The only thing is I have never been to university and so never set up an account. It took many phone calls and a letter to prove who I was. Eventually it got put right but you do wonder." |