Student finance: if your course, income or family circumstances change :Cross Stitch – Education and learning

You have to let Student Finance England know if your circumstances change after you apply for finance, as it may affect what money you can get. Full-time students can make some changes online. Part-time and postgraduate students need to send in a form.

If your course or university changes after you’ve applied for finance log in to your online account to update your details.

If you’re a full-time student, you need to contact Student Finance England to request a ‘Change of circumstances form’ to change the following details:

• your name
• your marital status, such as marriage, civil partnership, divorce or separation
• if your parents have more children
• changes to your household income

If you want to change your application from non-income assessed finance to income-assessed finance you should also contact Student Finance England to request a ‘Financial assessment form (PFF2)’. Income-assessed finance includes grants and the higher level Maintenance Loan. It requires your parents and partners to send in details of their income and circumstances.

If you change university, college or course after you’ve started your studies, you may be able transfer the financial support you get. To do this you should:

• let Student Finance England know about your new course by logging in to your student finance account and selecting ‘Make a change to your application’
• get your new university or college to send a ‘Notification of student transfer form’ to Student Finance England

Student Finance England will then re-assess the financial help you get.

The same process is used if you’re transferring to a new course through the Clearing system – or from a Higher National Diploma (HND) course to a degree course.

If you change course after the start of the second year – or if you’ve changed courses before – you may have to pay your own tuition fees for part of the new course.

If you want to repeat a year of your course or defer your studies, you should first discuss your reasons with your university or college.

If you defer or repeat a year due to circumstances beyond your control, you may be offered full support when you return to your studies.

If you leave your course early, it may affect whether you can get financial support in the future. Talk to your university or college and Student Finance England before you make a final decision.

If you withdraw from your course before a certain date, you may have to make a direct payment to your university or college to cover all or part of your tuition fees. Make sure you check their rules before you make a final decision.

Again, you should let Student Finance England know by logging in to your student finance account and selecting ‘Make a change to your application’.