Published by Student Direct: Mancunion


AN INCREASE in demand has caused huge delays at the Student Loans Company (SLC) in dishing out finance to new undergraduates.



Up to 50,000 students across the country are said to be affected by problems with the over-stretched organisation. The SLC claims that the backlog has arisen due to a record number of loan applications. The number of late submissions this year has caused particular problems.



A member of the University of Manchester’s Student Services team told Student Direct: Mancunion they had received a “significant amount” of calls regarding the problems.



“However, we’re not anticipating as great a problem as other universities,” he continued, “as most of our places are allocated early rather than through clearing.”



A University of Manchester spokesman added: “Students should still register [this] week as normal – the University of Manchester will consider deferring fees or can offer short terms loans to students affected by the delays.”



The Student Loans Company has insisted that those who applied on time will receive at least a basic loan on their first day of University, however, those that applied late, maybe due to being offered places through clearing, do not have the same guarantee.



University of Manchester students affected are encouraged to contact the Student Services Centre on 0161 275 5000 (select Option 5).