Search: Student loans report
Heads are expected to roll at the beleaguered Student Loans Company after a damning report has criticised the firm's handling of the student finance system.
Professor Deian Hopkin's review of the problems faced by the SLC this summer said there had been a "conspicuous failure in key areas" which had had a "far-reaching impact" on students.
Tens of thousands of students faced delays to their grants and loans payments this autumn after the SLC struggled to keep up with demand.
In a response to the review, SLC chairman John Goodfellow said: "The company is drawing up plans to address each of the recommendations in the report. This will include strengthening and restructuring the senior management team."
Prof Hopkin's review highlights that, even now, weeks after the start of the new academic term, there are some applicants who are still waiting for their full loan and grant payments.
It lays the blame on technical, management and services failures at the SLC for the "poor experience" of the many students using the application system this year.
This was the first year that the SLC took on complete responsibility for the entire system.
Advertisement starts
Advertisement ends
The report found: "While some aspects of the programme have been realised and good progress made on others, there has been a conspicuous failure in key areas of its delivery which has had a far-reaching impact on applicants and stakeholders."
While the report acknowledges that the SLC saw a surge in applications this year, Prof Hopkin added: "Due to a combination of technical, management and service failures, the experience of many applicants and stakeholders this year has been poor."
