Recently, I have received many letters and emails concerning the time it takes for student loans to be processed. I therefore feel that it is necessary to update students who are facing these difficulties with the current actions being taken by the government to address this issue.

The Student Loan Company (SLC) has seen a dramatic increase in the amount of students attending University. Because of this, more people have sought for student loans, leaving many disappointed with not being able to get their loans on time. However, the SLC have been taking steps to assure that students receive their loans as soon as possible.

The Government has assured me that over 8,000 English students have had their request for funds approved, while many more are being processed and will be approved as quickly as possible. Also, the SLC has added additional phone lines and staff for students and their family members to check the status of their applications. However, the SLC has asked people to check first online before calling to avoid traffic. For people who have applied for their student loans on time, they will receive the money after they have registered for University.

For people who have applied on time but had not yet been fully assessed, they will receive their money in interim payments. The SLC is working hard to process applications that have been received after the deadline. People who have applied only recently are less likely to receive payments at the beginning of the term, but may be given provisional sums in order to be able to attend class.

It is clear that the service of the SLC has fallen short of the expectation of many.

The Chief Executive of the Company has publicly apologized for the difficulties people have been having and will do its best to ensure that people will get their student loans and that this will never happen again.

If you are currently having problems concerning your loan then please do not hesitate to contact my office manager, Gurpreet Brar, at brarg@parliament.uk