If you haven't received your funding when expected, or if you haven't been given as much you'd hoped, contact Student Finance to talk to one of their advisers and find out what's going on. They should be able to see where your claim is up to and any notes from assessors.

How can I talk to Student Finance?

Information about contacting them is available on the Government website. If you're struggling to get hold of them, try calling towards the end of their working day as they are usually much less busy then.

Contact details for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are available here:

Wales

Scotland

Northern Ireland

Can an ASK adviser talk to Student Finance for me?

If you're having any problems with Student Finance and would like us to talk to them, we cannot call them on your behalf unless we have consent to share on your account. This can be set up by calling Student Finance or by completing the consent to share form on your online account.

Why haven't I been paid yet?

This year, a system glitch meant that the University was late in confirming enrolments to Student Finance. This should now have been resolved, but if you're still being affected, you can visit a Financial Support drop in for emergency support.

The most common reasons for late loan payments are that you applied late, or sent documents late, or there has been a problem with your application. You can take the following steps to minimise the risk of being paid late:

• Apply in plenty of time - Student Finance advises applying by the end of May to make sure you have your loan in place for the start of the academic year.
• Check that you've submitted everything you need - Sometimes applications are held up because Student Finance doesn't have all the information and evidence they need to make a decision. You can call Student Finance and check online to see if there are any notes on your record saying they need more information. 
• Check your parent(s) sent household income - If your parents' income needs to be assessed, make sure they've sent their own documents off.
• Make sure you're officially registered with the university - Student Finance won't release funds until your records show you are registered. If you're a returning student and owe the university money, please be aware you will not be able to re-register until you've paid.
• Update Student Finance if your circumstances change - For example, if you had planned to go to a different university, make sure you update your loan application or you won't get your funding.
• Make sure you have enough years of funding to cover your degree - If you've repeated a year and/or have previous study, you may not have enough funding to finish your degree; Student Finance usually prioritises your third year, so second years may suddenly find they have to self-fund for the year. If you failed a year due to illness or personal circumstances, you can apply for Compelling Personal Reasons to get an extra year of funding.

I haven't got my tuition or maintenance loan yet and I need to pay for tuition or University accommodation

Get in touch with the Income Office to explain what's happened and ask for more time. They are used to students having delays with their loans and are usually willing to give extensions, but they need to hear from you!

I have no money and my maintenance loan hasn't been awarded yet

You may be able to get the basic loan payment from Student Finance while you're waiting for your income to be assessed. Ask Student Finance if you can get the non-assessed part of your loan.

You can also talk to Financial Support in Student Services about an emergency loan.

What can I do if I think they've calculated my loan wrong?

You can call Student Finance to find out more information, or if you set up a consent to share for us to call on your behalf we can use the practitioners' line.

If you still believe there has been a mistake you can appeal to ask for them to reconsider. Information about appealing Student Finance decisions is in this leaflet.