David Wallace, Deputy Chief Executive of the Student Loans Company, will review the processes for dealing with late and complex student funding applications.
Education Secretary Michael Russell announced the review, commissioned by the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS), following concerns from students. It will ensure potential improvements are identified, while SAAS continue to deal with the remaining late applications and reprocessing those with changes in circumstance or new information.
Mr Russell said:
“I understand the concerns raised by students about the time taken to process late and complex funding applications. This is a critical issue for those concerned and I am therefore pleased that David Wallace will lead an independent review. I believe his experience and expertise from the Student Loans Company mean he is ideally placed for this task.
“Progress has been made over the last week, while changes to student support for next year will simplify the process for many. However, it is important that any further improvements are identified, especially for the late and complex applications which offer particular challenges.
“I can reassure students and their parents that SAAS will continue to work as quickly as possible to deal with all remaining applications for this year, while the review gives a head start on learning and applying lessons for next year.”
The review follows reports that around 8000 students had to wait up to two months for their funding. It has been pointed out that all of those affected had been late in submitting their applications and those who submitted on time received their funding promptly.