Student finance FAQs

In order to receive your payment of loans/grants from the Student Loans Company (SLC) on the first day of the academic year, you would need to have submitted your applications to Student Finance England (SFE) by the following dates:

• New Students portal opens end of March, applications should be applied by 15th May 2026
• Continuing students need to apply by Friday 19 June 2026
• Post Graduation loan portal opens on 20th July 2026    
  

Students can still apply for student finance after these dates but there is no guarantee they will receive payment at the start of the academic year.

If your funding is going to be delayed for any reason, there are several steps you can take to help you manage the first few weeks:

• Contact Student Finance England to get regular updates on what you need to do and when your funding will be released;
• Open a Student Bank Account with an interest free overdraft;
• Contact Student Fee Collections or your landlord to explain the situation and try to negotiate a new payment date for any accommodation fees or rent;
• Find some part-time work by registering with the Kent Students' Union Jobshop;
• Apply to the University for an Emergency Short Term Loan 

Each year, for a range of reasons, some students may not have their student finance in place when they arrive at university. Reasons for funding delays can include:

• Late applications to Student Finance England (SFE), Wales (SFW), Northern Ireland (SFNI) or the Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS);
• Not supplying additional evidence requested by SFE, SFW, SFNI or SAAS;
• Not completing the online Declaration or signing and returning your paper Declaration;
• Not providing a National Insurance Number;
• Not completing the “Loan Request Form”.

• Repeating a year
• Previous funding for a different course or university
• Resit fees are not covered by Student funding

• Contact student finance to confirm why funding has been declined.
• Contact Student Fee Collections to let them know and discuss options.
• Seek advice and help from Kent student union in reviewing your circumstances for a potential compelling personal reason (CPR) and assisting you in submitting your appeal to Student Finance

Any students who have been through Clearing after getting exam results still need to make sure that their student finance is sorted. New guidance for any students in England going through Clearing is available on the Student Finance website.

If you've already applied for student finance but your course, university or college has changed through Clearing, you'll need to let Student Finance England know as it could affect what you're entitled to. See this quick video on how to change your application.

Students can make changes to their course, college or university details online. To make a change log into your Student Finance online account then Your Account > Change your application > University/college course.

Once your loan is confirmed, don’t forget to complete and submit your online declaration from your funding body (or sign and return the paper version, if applicable) or you won’t receive any payments at the start of term!

Please refer to the following link: How to pay tuition fees  

For information about how to pay and our accepted payment methods, visit our Making Payments page.

Yes – you will be expected to pay in three equal instalments in line with your loan disbursement.

We are due to launch our new payment portal in early September. Through the portal, you'll be able to:

• Choose the payment plan most appropriate to your loan payments
• View your current account status
• Add an authorised person to make payments on your behalf
• Authorise us to speak directly with that person regarding your account

A sponsored student is a student whose tuition fees are being paid for by a private company or other organisation, (not parents/relatives or Student Finance England).

We will require an original letter from your sponsor/company on headed paper.

The letter should include:

• The student’s full name
• The student’s Kent ID number
• How much money the sponsor is funding them by
• Disclaimer Form (filled out & signed by the student)

Please email the letter through to Student Fee Collections.

A privately funded student is a student whose tuition fees are being paid by yourself or by parent or guardian.

If you are funded by the Student Loans Company, a Career Development Loan or US Loan this is also classed as privately funded.

If you are having financial difficulties it is important to communicate with your account controller in Student fee Collections as soon as possible. Failure to pay in the expected payment terms may affect your registration at the University.

You should also contact Kent Students' Union Advice Service for assistance with budgeting and to find out if support is available for you.

Useful links:

Taking a break from or leaving your studies

Debt management

If you have applied, and been successful in receiving support, the University will be advised directly by The Student Loans Company. This is provided that you have submitted all of the evidence required and completed the online declaration form (or returned the paper version if applicable).

The tuition fees are paid directly to the University, in instalments. If you have not yet received this formal confirmation please check your online account with SLC, or contact them directly.   

There may be a problem with your student loan, please contact the Student Fee Collections so we can advise you.  

For information about tuition fee prices, please visit our Tuition Fee webpage. Make sure to select the correct academic year.  

If payment of tuition fees is not received as expected, you are at risk of receiving late payment charges. 

For more information please see our Debt Management Policy.  

Students are normally invoiced for tuition fees in mid-late September, following completion of registration.

If you need your tuition fee charge confirmed before this, please email tuitionfeeenquiries@kent.ac.uk and we can confirm your tuition fees.

If you change your mode of study from Full Time to Part Time in the middle of the academic year, you will be charged pro rata for the amount of months studied Full Time at the Full Time tuition fee rate and the remaining amount of months at the Part Time tuition fee rate. 

If you are in receipt of Student funding, you must update your portal so that your funding is adjusted accordingly at:

Student Finance Login

If you are a new student you will need to contact the admissions team by emailing study@kent.ac.uk.

If you are a current student you will need to contact the Student Funding by emailing studentfunding@kent.ac.uk

Please email studentfunding@kent.ac.uk

The fastest and most convenient method of payment is our online payment system.

For details of other payment methods accepted by the University, please visit our Making Payments page.

See the different options for paying accommodation fees.

Students living in Pier Quays accommodation should contact Unite Students directly.  

Payment is due at the start of each term or quarter, depending on whether you are an undergraduate or postgraduate student.

This information and the amounts payable are detailed in the online room agreement that you have signed up to with the Accommodation Office.
You will not be invoiced for accommodation. Your room agreement acts as the invoice.

Undergraduate students in self-catering accommodation need to pay within the first two weeks of term. Postgraduate students need to pay in the first two weeks of the quarter. 

Read more about paying accommodation fees. 

No. If you feel that you have special circumstances (i.e. receiving a stipend from your sponsor or research studentship) you must have any special arrangements authorised by your account controller in Student Fee Collections.

Yes, there will be staff located in the Arrivals Hub to assist you in making payment.

Alternatively, to avoid the queues, you can pay online or via bank transfer

If payment for the accommodation fees is not received during the first two weeks of the term/quarter, you will receive a series of reminder letters and incur a late payment charge of 1.5% of any outstanding balance. You will be required to attend an in-person meeting to discuss non-payment.  

Please email your account controller with details about why you cannot pay on time and when you would be able to pay.

Contact the accommodation office to see if a cheaper room option is available. If you need to terminate your room agreement, please read the terms and conditions in your contract and speak to the accommodation office.

You should also contact Kent Students' Union Advice Service for assistance with budgeting and to find out if support is available for you.

Accommodation fees can be funded through a student Maintenance Loan/Grant. These are paid directly into your bank account, and then you can arrange the accommodation payment to the University. This can be completed through our online payment system. 

If you have not had formal confirmation of your funding and/or your funding is going to be delayed, you should contact Student Funding for advice, and also inform the Student Fee Collections.

The University cannot accept payment for Pier Quays accommodation at Medway as this is owned and managed by Unite Students. Payment must be paid directly to Unite Students. Any payments received for Unite Students will be returned directly to the sender by the same method that payment was made.  

• Inform your account controller [contact link please] immediately to discuss setting up a top up payment plan
• Speak to the Accommodation office about moving to a cheaper room
• Seek advice from Kent student Union to check your maintenance assessment is correct
• Find some part-time work by registering with the Kent Union Job Shop
• Seek help from family
• If thinking of terminating your room agreement, please read the Terms and conditions carefully. Accommodation TCs2026-2027_updateJune2026.pdf and speak to the accommodation team regarding the early termination process. accomm@kent.ac.uk.

The due now amount is the original total of the partially paid off fee(s) as we haven't partially matched off the part payments you have made. Please contact your account controller if you would like this to be clarified.  

The portal is only available to current students, not former students. Students still in the applicant stage may need to fully register before gaining access. If you still need can't access the system 48 hours after registering please get in touch with your account controller

If you have already paid your first 50% tuition, speak to your account controller to see if they can make a payment plan available to you to spread the remaining 50%.  

You can update your card details on your current instalment plan on our online payment system.

We accept Visa & MasterCard.

Unfortunately we do not accept American Express.

No, the university does not accept payment in cash or by cheque.  

Find out more about the University’s Debt Management Policy.

Please contact the Student Conduct and Complaints Office.

The University does not act as a bank. Any overpayments made can only be returned to the bank account from which the payment was originally made.  

Please visit our Making Payments page. The University's bank details are under the 'Bank Transfer' tab.  

This can be a library fine or an emergency loan.

These can be paid for on our online payment system.

If you are unable to complete financial registration because your scholarship or discount is not appearing in your in your student account, then please follow the steps below:

1. Log in to your account at evision.kent.ac.uk and navigate to the ‘Financial Registration’ section.

2. On the ‘Funding Details’ screen choose the option 'Funding details are incorrect' and click 'Continue'.

3. Choose the option 'Or, internal funding - fees or partial fees being paid by a School/Department is missing' and click 'Continue'.

4. A screen will show with the message 'If your scholarship is not listed, you will receive an invoice for your tuition fees until your scholarship has been processed and added to your student account.' - click 'Continue'.

5. On the view tuition fees screen, click 'Continue'.

6. On the select payment method screen, choose 'Your fees are being paid (or partially paid) by a scholarship but have not yet been added to your student account.' and click 'Continue'.

Scholarships, fee waivers and discounts are not currently appearing in student accounts. This may result in you receiving an invoice for your full programme fees for the academic year 2026/27.

You are only required to pay for any outstanding fees minus the value of any scholarship you have.

For example, if you have received a fee invoice for £8000 and you have a scholarship discount of £3000, you only need to pay £5000. Please note, if you have a complete fee waiver, you are not required to pay anything towards your fees.

You will be able to pay any outstanding balance online through bank transfer or our epay system. You can also still pay your fees in instalments of 50% prior to registration, and the remainder on 1 December 2026.