Complaints and appeals about Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) and Welsh Government Learning Grant (Further Education) (SFWIN 03/2023)

Learning centres (for example, schools and colleges) are responsible for submitting ‘in attendance’ and ‘not in attendance’ confirmations for their students to Student Finance Wales in a timely manner. Attendance confirmations trigger the release of EMA and WGLG (FE) payments during the academic year to eligible students. 

Learning centres have discretion to manage the attendance of their students by taking account of personal circumstances in accordance with their own policies. We previously published Information Notice 10/2022 as a reminder for staff dealing with cases of extenuating circumstances, which may unavoidably affect a student’s attendance and who may be at risk of not participating in education. We are grateful to learning centres who consider individual circumstances on a case-by-case basis.

We also appreciate that payments may be affected where students have not attended in accordance with their signed EMA or WGLG (FE) Agreement, or where the learning centre has recorded an unauthorised absence, meaning their attendance falls below that agreed. However, as Student Finance Wales are not responsible for learning centre registers, we would expect all disputes about attendance matters, resulting in the non-payment of EMA or WGLG (FE), to be taken up by students with their learning centre directly, following their learning centre’s own complaints process to resolve the matter where possible. 

If, however, the non-payment of EMA or WGLG (FE) support is as a direct result of a Student Finance Wales system error, the service will aim to issue a notification to learning centres in a timely manner. We ask that learning centres help to communicate such messages to their students to manage expectations and to reduce telephone calls to the Student Finance Wales service. 

If students are dissatisfied with any aspect of the Student Finance Wales service, they should follow the complaints and appeals process set out below.

Student Finance Wales aims to provide a 100% right first-time service when assessing applications and when providing advice and information. They also strive to learn lessons to help improve the service.

For students who wish to raise a complaint about any aspect of the Student Finance Wales service, or an appeal about an application decision for EMA or WGLG (FE) support, they should follow the relevant processes below to ensure that their concerns can be appropriately investigated and addressed:

Complaints about the Student Finance Wales service

Students can make a formal complaint by phone, email or post.

By phone:

0300 200 4050
Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm
We welcome calls in Welsh and Relay UK calls.

By email: 

customer_complaints@slc.co.uk (students should include their customer reference number in the email subject header)

By post:

Customer Relations
Student Loans Company
100 Bothwell Street
Glasgow
G2 7JD

Further information can be found at complaints procedure (Gov.UK).

Appeals about a Student Finance Wales application decision

Students need to send a completed appeals form. 

By email:

formal_appeals@slc.co.uk (students should include their customer reference number in the email subject header).

By post:

Student Finance Wales Formal Appeal 
PO Box 220
Llandudno Junction
LL30 9GE

Further information can be found at SFW complaints and appeals.

If you have any queries, please contact the Higher Education Division, Welsh Government by emailing: studentfinancedivision@gov.wales. We welcome correspondence in Welsh or English.

Large print, Braille and alternate language versions of this document are available on request.