Over £1 billion in Maintenance Loan payments have now been
distributed to 414,877 students. This week is our biggest
single payment date of the first term and marks a
significant milestone for our team who have been working
hard to ensure that as many students as possible have
funding in place as the new term starts. If a prospective
student has applied after the finance deadline or changed
their mind about, say, which university to attend, they may
not immediately receive their full entitlement. In these
cases, a standard funding package is made available to
those that are eligible with a top-up payment made as soon
as their full application is processed.
Students can help us process their application quickly by
submitting any evidence they are asked for straight away
through our Digital Evidence Upload service. In most cases
they can do this easily through their online account. They
should also use their online account to advise us of any
last-minute changes to their course, university or college.
Payments can only be made once a student has registered on
their course and their registration has been confirmed to
SLC by their university or college.
Last week we explained how this works with over 8000
customers as part of a live Facebook Payment Q&A, and
this week we hosted a further session on Facebook. Students
can also take advantage of the resources we have made
available online at www.studentfinance.campaign.gov.uk
and www.studentfinancewales.co.uk/payment
or visit our Frequently Asked
Questions. If they do have to call, it’s best to choose
a time when the phone lines are likely to be a bit quieter,
such as at the weekends. At the moment we are finding that
phonelines on a Monday are particularly busy and suggest
students avoid calling then if possible. We are doing our
very best to speak to as many students as possible,
however, we have received the highest number of applicants
ever for this point in the year, so it may not be possible
to speak to one of our advisors straight away. Students can
check their payment status at any time on their online
accounts and we have made information available online
about what each status update means.
Successful delivery of payments is our priority and this
year we are more aware than ever of the critical role we
play in enabling students to begin or continue with their
education. With this in mind we are providing as much
information, guidance and support as possible as the new
term gets underway and will continue to do so as we make
the final first term payments over the next couple of
weeks.
Keep up to date with all the latest information on payment
by following Student Finance England and Student Finance
Wales on Facebook and Twitter.
