Thousands Of Students Still Waiting On Loan Support

Fri, 09 Oct 2009

Up to 175,000 students across the UK are still waiting for their loans and grants to arrive, according to new data obtained by the BBC.

A record one million students applied for higher education funding this year, but 16 per cent have not yet received their student loan or grant, a week after most university courses got underway.

According to information released under the Freedom of Information Act, first year students have been hit the worst, with just 72 per cent of the 487,179 first-time applications dealt with, meaning up to 135,000 applications are yet to be processed.

In order to help those who are desperately short of funds, many universities are allowing students to delay accommodation payments and some have asked private landlords to defer rent payments until the backlog in loan applications can be cleared.

The Student Loans Company (SLC), which runs the student finance system on behalf of the government, said record student numbers, technical problems and a large number of late applications were to blame for the delays in processing loan forms.

"The variance between the applications that have been sent in and those that have been processed is due to a combination of factors, including late applications, of which we are still receiving thousands every day," it said in a statement.

It added that the number of outstanding applications includes those which have been cancelled, started online but not submitted for processing, or those where more information is needed.

Last month the SLC announced that most students who applied on time (before mid-August) would receive enough loan support to cover tuition fees and basic living expenses in time for the start of their courses, with the remaining funds coming by the end of October.
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