Students urged to ‘stop and think before you click’ as student finance payments begin

The Student Loans Company (SLC) is reminding students to be alert to scams as maintenance loan payments begin for the 2026/27 academic year.

As students across the country prepare to start or return to university, SLC is urging them ‘stop and think before you click’ when responding to any unusual messages or communication about their student finance.

In September, SLC is scheduled to pay approximately £2.6 billion in maintenance support to 1.1m students. Scammers use this busy payment period to send convincing text messages, emails, or make phone calls claiming that a student’s payment is at risk.

These messages are made to look like that they come from a trusted organisation and may say that a payment has been blocked, bank details need to be updated, or an account will be closed unless the recipient acts immediately.

Students are being reminded that SLC will never ask them to provide or confirm personal or financial information by email, text message or any social media platform. Anyone who receives an unexpected communication should avoid clicking links and instead sign in to their student finance account through GOV.UK

Alan Balanowski, Risk Director at SLC, said: “Starting and returning to university is an exciting and busy time, and receiving that first maintenance payment is an important moment for many students. Unfortunately, scammers know when these payments are due and will go to great lengths to take advantage of students.

“Scammers can make messages look convincing and create a sense of urgency to encourage people to act without thinking. Our advice is simple: stop and think before you click. Take a moment to pause before taking action, don’t click on unexpected links and check your account through GOV.UK

“We work hard to identify and prevent fraud, but students can also protect themselves by knowing how we communicate and being cautious if they are contacted unexpectedly.”