Students planning to start university this autumn are being urged to apply for their loans before this month's deadline.
The Student Loans Company (SLC) says more than 1.5 million people are expected to attend college or university this autumn. New full-time undergraduate students in England have until Friday, May 20, to apply for funding.
Applications should be made online now even if students don’t have a confirmed place at university. This is to ensure their finance will be in place for the start of the academic year.
Returning students also need to reapply for student finance every year, and the deadline for applications is Friday, June 24.
Chris Larmer, SLC executive director for operations, said: "Our mission is to enable opportunity and we are committed to supporting students to achieve their ambitions. Our application window opened earlier this year, which gives students plenty of time to apply before the deadline to ensure they have the best possible start to their further or higher education journey.
"We know that this can seem daunting, particularly for new students, but there is a range of content on our website and social media channels to help guide students, and their parents or partners, through the process. Applying early means that busy students can tick at least one thing off their list as they prepare for university life."
Students will have access to self-serve tools allowing them to track their application online and receive progress updates.
Mr Larmer added: "We continue to invest in providing a digital service that offers the best customer experience to students. Applications can take around six to eight weeks to process and for the vast majority, the whole experience will be online.
"Students can monitor their application’s progress via their online accounts and if we need any further information, we will get in touch directly."
People can continue to apply for finance throughout the summer, but SLC is not able to guarantee that funding will be in place for the start of term. Applications can be made online here. The process should only take around 30 minutes.
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