19. To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of how many students have been rejected for student finance in the 2021-22 applications due to not meeting the three year ordinary residency criteria; and what steps his Department is taking to ensure there are alternative forms of financial support or discretionary appeals for prospective students who fail to meet the three year ordinary residency criteria for student finance.
Answered on
20 September 2021
The Student Loans Company (SLC) classes applicants who do not meet the residency criteria as ineligible and their application does not proceed any further. This activity is not automatically captured within the SLC systems, and it is not possible therefore, to provide an estimate of the numbers of students rejected for this reason.
Government funding is available only for applicants who have been here lawfully for a defined period, in order to target the limited funding available at those who have a recent, substantial connection to the United Kingdom.
It is open to students to seek an independent assessment of a decision made by Student Finance England if they consider that the regulations have not been applied correctly.