On 3 July 2006 the Minister of State for Higher Education delivered a written ministerial statement that the Student Finance Delivery System in England would be transformed so that by September 2008 a new, fully integrated, Student Finance Service would be ready for new students applying for entry to higher education in the 2009/10 academic year.
The full transformation programme will take six years, with all outcomes, benefits and requirement delivered in time for the 2011/12 academic year application processing cycle when all students will be assessed by a central unit.
To deliver this change requires:
- Design, development and implementation of the new service
- Transformation of the Student Loans Company (SLC), which will become the national delivery provider for payment of loans and grants and owner of end-to end customer contact and strengthening the existing partnership with HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) for collection of loans
- The collection service will continue to be provided for all administrations in the UK jointly who will all benefit from any improvements to customer service and processes
- Carefully managed transition from the current locally distributed assessment service, which involves English local authorities, so that by academic year 2011/12 all cases are handled by the new service
- DIUS repositioning itself as strategic leaders of the system, remaining owners of the SFS and being ultimately accountable for its performance but gradually increasing the operational autonomy and accountability of delivery partners
Higher Education Student Finance is changing and your students need to know!
From 1st September 2008, responsibility for the provision of Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG) to prospective Higher Education entrants transferred from Local Authorities to the Student Loans Company. This is part of a wider programme of centralisation which will see all students following a new application process for their Higher Education funding. Where you may have received assistance from your Local Authority previously this will not now be available and your students may look to you for answers.
The Student Loans Company are running 12 free regional events for practitioners working in the pre-HE-choice sector so that you can have the correct information and tools to make sure that your students are fully aware of the help available to them. Delegates at the events will have the opportunity to meet their SLC Regional Consultant and will be provided with information about the new arrangements, details of the 2009/10 application process and will receive a pack of materials to use with their students during their HE choice process.
If you have any queries please email SFConsultants@slc.co.uk