Student Finance application service launches for 22/23 academic year

Full-time undergraduate students in Manchester and the North West are being encouraged to apply now for student finance, as the application service opens for the 22/23 academic year.

The Student Loans Company (SLC) expects approximately 1.5 million full-time, undergraduate students to apply for funding this year and the advice is to get applications in early.

Students in England can apply for Tuition Fee Loans to cover their fees and Maintenance Loans to help with living costs.

By applying before the deadline (20 May 2022 for new students and 24 June 2022 for returning students) students can ensure they will have their finance in place for the start of term. Even if they are unsure of what course they will be doing or what university they will be attending, SLC is still encouraging students to apply now.

Applications can take six to eight weeks to process, and students do not need to contact the Student Loans Company during this time. Once they have applied, they can check the progress of their application using the application status tracker in their online account.

This shows them what stage their application is at currently. Applicants can also view a to-do list of any outstanding actions required to support their application and will be contacted by text message or e-mail if any further information is required from them.

Chris Larmer, SLC Executive Director of Business Operations, said: “SLC exists to enable opportunity for students to invest in their futures through access to further and higher education. We want students to get their higher education journey off to the best start by ensuring they have their finances in place at the start of term. That’s why we are encouraging them to apply now for their student finance.

“We want to make it as easy as possible for students to access student finance and to support them resources are available online and they can follow Student Finance England (SFE) on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for all the latest student finance updates. We’ve also made it easier for students to check the status of their application using the new application status tracker in their SFE online account, and applicants can be assured that we will contact them via text message or e-mail if we require any further information to support their application.”

To help students apply for student finance, SLC has put together the following tips:

Apply Early
Apply as early as possible to make sure your finances are in place before your studies start. The deadline to apply is 20 May 2022 for new students and 24 June 2022 for returning students. Even if you don’t know what course you are doing, you should apply now using your preferred choice and you can update your application later if required.

Don’t call us – we’ll contact you!
Remember it can take six to eight weeks to process an application. There is no need to contact us during this time to check on your application status. You can stay up to date with your application’s progress via our application tracker in your SFE online account. We will also notify you if you have any outstanding actions to complete. You should check that your e-mail address and telephone number are up to date in your online account.

Find the answer online first
Take advantage of the information and resources provided online – these resources are continually updated to respond to the needs of students, their parents and partners, as they progress through the application cycle.

Make sure you understand how much funding you may be entitled to
You can apply for Tuition Fee Loans to cover your fees and Maintenance Loans to help with living costs. You can use the student finance calculator to get an estimate of how much you could be entitled to.

Have your important documents at hand
Have your National Insurance Number and UK passport details to hand before you start your application as you will be asked for this information when you apply.

Provide your supporting evidence online
Don’t forget to submit any evidence you are asked for. All evidence apart from some forms of ID or residency evidence can be submitted digitally via your SFE online account.

Check if you are eligible for extra support
There may be circumstances where you are able to access some extra money, for example, if you have a disability, have children or are studying for a medical, social work or teaching course. You can find out more about what is available here.