Website of the UK government

Why you have to submit evidence

Proving your identity

If you’re applying for student finance for the first time, you’ll need to submit evidence of your identity. Student Finance England uses this evidence to check whether you’re eligible for finance – and to make sure that loans and grants only go to genuine applicants.

Proving household income

If you apply for finance that takes your income into account ('means-tested' or 'income-assessed' finance), as a student you’ll be asked to estimate your income for the academic year. Student Finance England may ask you for evidence of this income at the end of the year.

If your parent(s) or partner are supporting your application for 'income-assessed' finance, they’ll need to submit evidence of your household income. For the academic year 2010/11, they should supply evidence for the 'prior tax year' 2008-09 (6 April 2008 – 5 April 2009).

Student Finance England use the 'prior tax year' as this will be the last completed tax year before the first date from which you could apply for student finance.

The evidence should match the amounts given on your application.

Student Finance England use this evidence about your household income to work out how financial support you’ll get. To find out more, see ‘Applying for finance: income assessment for full-time students’.

• Applying for finance: income assessment for full-time students

Which evidence items will you need to submit?

You’ll find out which types of evidence you need to supply when you complete your application – either online or on paper.

Or, to view a complete list of evidence items you can submit, follow the links below.

• Evidence to support a student finance application: items belonging to the student

• Evidence to support a student finance application: items belonging to parents and partners

If you are continuing your course

If you’re a continuing student, you will need to provide information each year you apply for finance, but won’t need to provide new evidence - unless your circumstances change.

Changes to your circumstances could include:

• changes to your marital status
  
• if you now have dependent children or are taking care of a dependent adult
  
• if you think your household income will be at least 15 per cent lower than in the previous year
  
• if one of your parents or your partner dies, leaves the family home or remarries

• Student finance: if your course, income or family circumstances change

What to do with your evidence

If you apply online: full-time students

After you submit your application online, you’ll see an 'Evidence' screen. This allows you to select the evidence items you’ll send in.

The online application lets you print a 'cover letter' - this automatically lists all the evidence items you’ve selected.

• Register, login and apply online for student finance Opens new window

If you apply on paper: full-time and part-time students

If you apply on paper, you should include all your evidence at the same time you post your application form.

• Student finance forms and guides 2010/11

• Student finance forms and guides 2009/10

Where to send your evidence

If you’re a new student - or you started your course in 2009/10 - you should send all your evidence to Student Finance England along with your Customer Reference Number.

Send your evidence to:

Student Finance England
PO Box 210
Darlington
DL1 9HJ

If you started your course in 2008/09 or earlier, you should send your evidence either to your local authority or to Student Finance England - depending on where you live. See 'Contact your local authority (student finance applications)' to find out where you need to send your form.

• Contact Student Finance England

• Contact your local authority (student finance applications) Opens new window

Getting updates on your evidence

When Student Finance England get your evidence, they will sort, scan and match it to your application. Until your evidence has been processed, Student Finance England may not be able to give you an update. 

Full-time students

You can check what’s happening with your application and evidence by logging into your online account and viewing the ‘Evidence’ screen.

If you applied on paper, you’ll be sent a Customer Reference Number, password and secret answer that you can also use to access your details online.

You can get updates online if you applied through Student Finance England or your local authority. But please note that the ‘Evidence’ screen is updated once your evidence has been processed.

How to access the ‘Evidence’ screen

1. Log in to your online account
   
2. From the ‘My account’ screen, click on the academic year you applied for (for example ‘2010/11’)
   
3. Click ‘Evidence’ to get to the ‘Evidence’ screen

• Login to your student finance account

• Find out your student finance account login details Opens new window

Full-time and part-time students

You’ll also be sent a letter showing the amount of financial support you’ll receive within six weeks of submitting your application and evidence.

When will you get your evidence back?

Student Finance England will return your evidence to you once they have processed your application fully.

Please be aware that this can take up to four weeks during their busiest processing periods - typically between mid August and mid October.

Download a guide to student finance evidence

• Download evidence needed for student finance applications for 2010/11 (PDF, 137K)