Posted 16 March 2026

There’s been a lot in the press recently about student debt and loan repayment. A lesser discussed but equally important issue is that a growing number of applicants are applying late for student finance.  

Regional Student Loans Company (SLC) data presented at recent Go Higher West Yorkshire (GHWY) CPD demonstrates that ~32% of student finance applications are after June for both tuition fee and maintenance loans. This does not give adequate time for finance applications to be processed in time for course starts, which can negatively impact on a learners’ likelihood of taking up their Higher Education (HE) place. 

GHWY Uni Connect aims to promote impartial advice to learners and their key influencers about HE progression. In this blog we look at some of the consequences of late applications, and provide advice on how to make a timely application. 

Impacts of late finance application on under-represented groups 

Late applications for student finance can have a huge impact on all individuals, leading to financial pressures and increased drop-out rates. It can, however, disproportionately affect under-represented learners. Some examples of this are: 

• Care-experienced and estranged students can often access additional financial support from their HE providers. If they are unable to take up their place at HE due to late financial application, they will also forego this support. 
• Those from lower socio-economic backgrounds have less financial resilience and support. This means that any delays in processing and payment of loans can negatively impact on their likelihood of taking up their HE place. 
• Disabled learners may additionally apply for Disabled Students Allowance. The abovementioned CPD session demonstrated that these applications are also trending late in our region. 

Give good advice, in a timely manner 

The above mentioned CPD session, which we delivered in partnership with the Student Loans Company, provided clear advice to HE applicants around finance. This included key information about what the process entails; the importance of spending time on the application; and the need to provide an accessible email address.

Watch our Student Finance Updates and Insights CPD webinar. 

Applicants are also encouraged to sign up to Student Finance England’s mailing list to get alerts about key finance information.  

Conclusion 

To support learners make informed choices about Higher Education, it is essential that advisers have up to date information about finance trends in our region and ensure applicants understand the student finance process properly. 

 

Jenny Scannell, GHWY Project Manager and Officer