GovWire

Who is SLC and who is SAAS?

Student Loans Company (SLC) pays loans to students from across the UK and collects their loan repayments.

Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) assesses student finance applications and pays bursaries for students from Scotland. They do not pay student loans.

Keep up to date with SAAS by following them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok.

When will I get my first payment?

We cant pay your loan until your course has started and youve registered with your university or college. If youre not sure when your course starts, you should check with your university or college.

You can check the payment status of your loan by looking at your loan payment letter.

What happens if my course start date has changed?

Your loan payment date will change too. This is because we cant pay your loan until your course has started and youve registered with your university or college.

If youre eligible for a bursary, SAAS can still pay that on your original course start date. This means its likely youll get paid your bursary and your loan on different days.

Why does my loan payment letter say awaiting NI?

This means were waiting for your National Insurance (NI) number to be checked with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). This can take a few weeks from when SAAS send us your loan entitlement. We cant pay your loan until weve checked and confirmed your NI number with the DWP.

If you havent given us an NI number yet or you need to change the one you have given us, call us on 0300 100 0609.

How do I change my bank details?

Youll need to call us on 0300 100 0609. Youll need to do this even if youve already changed your bank details with SAAS because they only pay your bursary.

How do I check the progress of my SAAS application?

SAAS do not pay student loans. SAAS assesses loan applications and pays bursaries for students from Scotland.

You should sign in to your SAAS account to check if your application has been assessed.

Who to contact?

Question about your student loan payments?

You should contact SLC if your student loan has been processed by SAAS and you have a question about:

• when youll receive your payments
• updating your details
• missing payments

Find out about call charges

Question about your SAAS application, bursary or grant payments?

You should contact SAAS if:

• you havent applied for a student loan yet
• you have applied for a student loan, but your application hasnt been processed yet
• you have a question about your award notice

For any other questions, you should contact SAAS.

Question about repaying your loan?

Youll have to start repaying your loan when your income is over a certain amount (the threshold amount).

Youll be charged interest from the day you get your first payment.