 |
Student Finance Delivery is Transforming
Student Finance England launched
Student Finance England is the new one stop shop for anyone who wants to know more about what help is on offer to students wanting to take a higher education course. It’s the definitive, official source of information on student finance. It offers students and their families a seamless customer experience, clearer information, faster decisions, timely payments and more accurate repayments. The new service is designed to ensure that it’s as easy as possible to find out what financial help is available based on your personal circumstances.
- An improved online service has been developed which will, in future, link UCAS applications to applications for student finance, simplifying the process and making it much quicker.
- The online calculator will help students work out how much they can get, and also compare support for different courses and different universities, including bursaries, to ensure that they have all the information needed to make an informed choice.
A team of experts is available to answer more detailed questions through secure messaging and by telephone and, by August 2009, students will be able to communicate with an adviser using webchat.
A wide range of information and guidance literature is available to read or download from the Student Finance England website, www.direct.gov.uk/studentfinance, including information on help for students with disabilities, help for students with children or adult dependants, and the terms and conditions which apply to student finance.
Background
The programme which is dramatically transforming the student finance delivery service was announced by the then Higher Education Minister, Bill Rammell, in July 2006 (click here to view Press Notice). The transformed service is putting the customer’s perspective even more at the heart of student finance delivery in England.
The new service is characterised by:
- a more accountable and seamless student finance delivery service as a result of making a single organisation responsible for administering grants and loans to HE students in England
- higher quality information, advice and guidance, including an online financial calculator providing information on financial support entitlement and comparing bursaries from different higher education institutions
- faster decisions and payments by introducing a primarily online service built around the needs of customers, which enables students to apply for financial support at the same time as applying for their higher education course and uses data sharing with the Identity and Passport Service (IPS) to reduce the burden on customers by removing the need to provide ID documentation
- a better customer experience for graduates paying back their loans by strengthening the existing partnership between the SLC and HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC)
Improvements have started being phased in from 2009 for new full-time students wishing to enter HE in the 2009/10 academic year, who are able to apply for financial support through the new integrated Student Finance England service. All new and continuing full-time students will be benefiting from the new service by the 2011/12 academic year.
For answers to frequently asked questions about the new student finance service, please click on the FAQs document in the related documents section below.
Related documents
FAQs on transforming student finance delvery in England
Acrobat Document | 19 KB- Improving Student Finance WMS July06
Acrobat Document | 21 KB - Improving Student Finance WMS January06
Acrobat Document | 14 KB - Improving Student Finance
Acrobat Document | 826 KB - Improving Student Finance Annex
Acrobat Document | 826 KB
Related links
