Helping students get their first student finance payment

It’s important you help students know what to do to get their first student finance payment on time.

Students should follow these steps to make sure they get paid on time:

1. Make sure they’ve submitted their application and provided any evidence we need. They should sign in to their online account and check their application tracker in case they have any actions to complete.
2. Check their bank details are correct in their online account. To do this, they should click ‘Your personal details’ in their account. If they need to update them, you should remind them to do this at least 4 working days before their payment date.
3. Register on their course. We cannot make payments to them until their uni or college confirm that that’ve registered. If they haven’t already, they should register as soon as possible.

Visit our payment page or watch our ’Getting paid’ film on YouTube for more information.

If they applied late

If students are applying now, they should still receive some money near the start of their course, as long as they’ve provided any evidence we need and their application is approved.

Because they’re applying late, they may receive a smaller payment to begin with.

Advise students to make sure their parent(s) or partner have provided their income details so we can re-assess their entitlement and top up their first payment as soon as possible.

Consent to share

Some students may find it difficult to deal with their student finance application, you should encourage them to set up ‘consent to share’ on their account. They can call us to give permission for a HEP practitioner to call on their behalf and help them deal with any student finance related issues they’re having.