By submitting their application before the deadline, freshers can ensure their finance will be in place for the start of the academic year. Applications submitted after the deadline will still be processed, but there’s no guarantee you’ll receive your student loan before the start of term.

It’s estimated that more than 1.5 million people will attend college or university this autumn.

New students have just under three weeks, until 20 May, to apply for funding and have been told to apply online now even if they don’t have a confirmed place at university.

Returning students in England also need to reapply for student finance every year, and the deadline for applications is 24 June to guarantee receiving the money by the start of term in September.

Chris Larmer, SLC executive director of operations, said: “Our mission is to enable opportunity and we are committed to supporting students to achieve their ambitions.

“Our application window opened earlier this year, which gives students plenty of time to apply before the deadline to ensure they have the best possible start to their further or higher education journey. We know that this can seem daunting, particularly for new students, but there is a range of content on our website and social media channels to help guide students, and their parents or partners, through the process. Applying early means that busy students can tick at least one thing off their list as they prepare for university life.”

SLC says it is “continuing to improve its customer experience” and students have access to self-serve tools allowing them to track their application online and receive progress updates.

Larmer added: “We continue to invest in providing a digital service that offers the best customer experience to students. Applications can take around six to eight weeks to process and for the vast majority, the whole experience will be online. Students can monitor their application’s progress via their online accounts and if we need any further information, we will get in touch directly.”