Student Finance

Please note: Details around Clearing for 2025 applicants are subject to change. Please keep checking our site for up-to-date info.

Getting paid on time.

If you applied through Clearing, or simply accepted your offer, here’s what you need to know about your Student Finance!⁠ 

If you haven’t yet applied for student finance, it’s recommended that you apply as soon as possible. If you have already applied for student finance but have made some changes through Clearing, here’s what you’ll need to do.

This guide applies to UK undergraduate students starting their university course in September 2025. Any queries about student finance should be directed to your funding provider.

HAVE YOU CHANGED YOUR UNIVERSITY OR COURSE?

If you’ve decided to go to a different Uni, or study a different course, you’ll need to sign into your student finance account and let them know of any changes.  

HAVE YOU CHANGED YOUR LIVING SITUATION?

If you secure a place at a university through Clearing but now your living situation has changed – the same goes.⁠ 

If you’re no longer moving away from home, or perhaps moving further afield, it’s important that you update this on your student finance account. You can make this change when you update your university or course on your online account.⁠ 

Once you’ve made any changes you need to make, the Student Loans Company can take 6 to 8 weeks to process any changes and apply this to your entitlement. ⁠ If your course starts before this is processed, they may be able to award you the minimum Maintenance Loan amount before the course begins. 

When your full entitlement is calculated, you should begin to receive the difference right away. 

HAVE YOU MADE NO CHANGE?

If you got the course you wanted and already applied for student finance? Firstly, congratulations! You won’t need make changes to your account unless your university, college or course details change.⁠ 

We do, however, recommend that you perform a few checks to make sure you get your first payment on time.⁠ 

HOW TO MAKE SURE YOU’RE PAID ON TIME 

STEP 1: Sign into your online student finance account and check your application tracker in case there's anything else you need to provide.⁠ 

⁠STEP 2: Check your bank details are correct in your online account. If you need to update them, you should do this at least 4 working days before your payment date.⁠ 
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STEP 3:Enrol on your course as soon as possible and make sure you provide your Student Support Number from Student Finance (SSN) when enrolling. Student Finance cannot make payments to you until the University has confirmed your registration and we need the SSN to be able to do this.

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⁠If you've applied after the deadline, you'll still receive some money near the start of your course, as long as you’ve provided any evidence needed and your application has been approved. ⁠ 

The Student Loans Company will pay the basic amount of funding first. When they get the necessary income details, they'll reassess your entitlement and top up your first payment as soon as possible. ⁠ 

 
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For further information and guidance from the Student Loans Company, head to their website. 

For more information about financial support, see here.

To find out more about clearing, head to our Clearing Hub.