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.
