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HELPING HAND: Student Finance

THE CLEARING process helps students whose grades are different than they might have expected after results day.

Whether their grades are different than expected, or they’re just applying a bit later for a course, Clearing lets prospective students apply for courses at UK universities and colleges that still have places left.

UCAS doesn’t inform Student Finance England (SFE) about any changes to a student’s course details, so prospective students whose course details, university or college change need to let Student Finance England (SFE) know to make sure they receive their student finance.

I’ve applied for student finance already but my course is changing. What should I do?

If you’ve already applied for student finance but decided to change your course, university or college through Clearing, you need to let SFE know as soon as possible as the change might affect the student finance you’re entitled to.

It’s easy to change your course, university or college details online; you can do this by logging into your account at www.gov.uk/studentfinance then: Your Account > Change Your Application > University/College and Course.

Before you login, make sure that you have all the information to hand that you’ll need to change your application:

· New University/College name
· New course name
· New course duration
· New fee amount
· New year of study

Any changes that you make will mean that we’ll reassess your application to ensure you receive the correct finance and most changes take around 6 weeks to process, however some will be processed within 48 hours – check your online account for updates.

We’ll contact you by post once your changes have been approved.

I’m applying for a course through Clearing but I haven’t applied for student finance yet

The quickest way to apply is by creating an online account at: www.gov.uk/studentfinance

When applying make sure you have the following information to hand to prevent any delays in your application being processed:

· Your course and university or college details
· National Insurance Number
· Valid UK Passport details
· UK bank details

Applications take at least six weeks to be processed, but we’ll do an initial assessment so you have some money as close to the start of your course start as possible.

Don’t forget – the sooner you apply the better!

Not from England?

If you’re from Wales, Northern Ireland or Scotland then you should either apply or change your application details with Student Finance Wales (SFW), Student Finance Northern Ireland (SFNI) or the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS).

If you’re a student from an EU country and haven’t been in the UK for five years or more then you will need to either apply using a paper EU17N form or update your existing application using a paper EUCO1 form. For more information on EU finance visit: www.gov.uk/student-finance/eu-students

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