SLC ready for busy Summer
Chris Larmer, SLC Executive Director, Operations, encourages students to use their online account to track application status.
The arrival of the sunnier weather is most welcome and as the holiday season gets closer many students will be looking forward to a well-earned break from their studies.
For the Operations team at SLC – it’s our busiest time of the year. We have successfully launched all our services for the 22/23 academic year and now our focus is on making sure that students starting or returning to education in the Autumn have their finance in place from day one.
We expect to receive over 1.5 million applications this year - it’s a big number but this is the heart of our role as enablers of student opportunity, so we are ready and prepared for what’s to come.
September feels like a long way off right now – and many students will be thinking about finishing coursework, organising summer jobs and hopefully even fitting in a holiday - so, you could forgive them for not thinking ahead to the start of the academic year. But whatever their plans, we would encourage them to sort their student finance, before the holidays get underway.
New students were advised to apply before 20 May but if they missed this deadline they should still apply as soon as possible. Even if they are waiting for those all-important exam results, it is possible to submit an application without a confirmed place at university or college – and no need to wait for clearing either.
For continuing students, they should re-apply by 24 June to make sure all of their funding is in place for the start of their course. But don’t worry – there is still time if students need to apply after the deadline. If an application is late, students will still receive the minimum amount of student finance to begin with, to ensure they have some money as they start their course.
For most students, it’s straightforward to apply and should only take around 30 minutes. This year we have improved the service to make it easier to use and more supportive, which means that the majority can complete their application digitally – submitting evidence, updating personal details and checking on next steps via their online accounts. And if they need any help, we have plenty of information online as well as short films which walk through the process.
Once submitted, the application takes up to six to eight weeks to process and we will get in touch if we need more information. The online account can also be used by students to view their application’s status, from wherever they are this summer – so there’s no need to worry or get in touch for an update on progress.
A busy but rewarding few months lie ahead for our Operations team as we get on with what we do best – supporting students to invest in their future and ensuring that the 22/23 academic year gets off to a smooth start.
Have a great summer everyone.