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Latest on 2009/2010 student finance applications – 10 November

Student Finance England are processing applications for the 2009/2010 academic year as quickly as possible: they’re currently dealing with new applications from mid October.

If you’ve applied late, every effort will be made to pay you on time - and in some cases a provisional payment will be made.

If you get an initial payment that’s less than you were expecting, it will have been made to ensure you are paid on time. Your full entitlement will be paid as soon as possible.

If you're sending in an application form or evidence by post, remember to make allowances for any strike action planned by Royal Mail workers.

• Postal strike - reducing its impact

When am I going to get paid?

You’ll have to register with your university at the start of term. Once you have registered, your university will need to confirm your attendance to Student Finance England.

Assuming you sent a fully completed application to Student Finance England on time - including all supporting evidence - payment will then take between three and five working days to reach your bank account.

You can login to your student finance account to:

• check your scheduled payments (under ‘View Payments’)
• see your Payment Schedule letter (under 'View Correspondence')

• Login to your student finance account

My online account says my payment is “awaiting confirmation” or “blocked” – why is this?

If your payment is “awaiting confirmation”

If the ‘View payments’ section of your student finance account says that your payment is “awaiting confirmation”, it means that Student Finance England is waiting for confirmation from your university or college that you’re attending your course.

To get this confirmation, take your Payment Schedule letter to your university or college. Once your attendance has been confirmed, you’ll get your payment.

If your payment is “blocked”

Payments can be blocked at your request, or at the request of your college or university (because you’ve withdrawn from your course).

If you’re not sure why your payment has been blocked, first check that your bank details are complete and correct using your online account.

• Login to your student finance account

If your bank details are correct, your payment might be temporarily blocked while Student Finance England checks your National Insurance number with the Department for Work and Pensions. If this is the case, your payment status should change to “awaiting confirmation” in the near future.

If you’re still not sure why your payment has been blocked, contact Student Finance England.

• Contact Student Finance England

When and how will my tuition fees get paid?

If you take out a Student Loan to cover your tuition fees, they will be paid directly to your university in two instalments following confirmation of your continued attendance. One payment is made in February, and one in May.

Will I still be paid if I have changed my course?

Yes - if you have recently changed your course or university, your new uni will confirm your attendance when you register on your course. Your first payment will be automatically processed.

You should then let Student Finance England know about the change. If you're a full-time student, do so by completing a 'CO1' form.

• Download change of circumstances form for full-time students (CO1) 2009/2010 (PDF, 181K)

• More on what to do if your circumstances change

What does ‘applying on time’ mean - and what do I do if I’ve applied late?

Student Finance England has recommended application guidelines to guarantee payment at the start of your course.

If you applied before these dates and have supplied the evidence asked for by Student Finance England, you will be paid on time and receive the correct amount.

The application guideline dates were:

• 24 April for students who did not wish their household income to be taken into account
• 22 May for returning students who did wish their household income to be taken into account
• 26 June for new students who did wish their household income to be taken into account

Even if you did not apply by these dates, every effort will be made to pay you on time - and in some cases a provisional payment will be made.

Why does my financial assessment not take account of my household income?

While every effort will be made to pay you at the start of your course, in some cases Student Finance England may not have received your application or evidence on time.

As long as you are eligible for student finance, you will receive an initial payment - and any additional money due to you will be calculated and paid as soon as possible afterwards. This will be set out for you in a new financial assessment.

• Student finance applications: if your assessment doesn't take account of your household income

I can't seem to get through to Student Finance England: why is this?

This is an extremely busy time of year for Student Finance England, which may mean some delays with the telephone and web services. However, increased resources are being focussed on dealing quickly with all calls and applications.

More useful links

• Proposed student finance package for the 2010/2011 academic year Opens new window

• About Student Finance England