5 General Questions regarding Student Loan.

Dear Student Finance team,
Im a German guy who's currently working on my student loan application, as my courses start in September 16'. In the process I've come across a few small but rather important questions. I would be grateful if someone found the time to help me out with some of them.

1) Do I need to have a definate University choice before applying?
I have recieved 3 unconditional course offers so far, but I am still undecided between two of the three. Even though the Online Application service indicates that I can still change my Uni Choice later on, Im wondering how easy this would be, and what the repercussions are of changing my Course / Uni later on?

2) "Where will you live during the academic year?"
I do not have a living place in the UK (yet), but I am asked to enter a valid UK adress. (Granted, this can be skipped). Must I enter this information before I send off the application, or can I let SLC know about my living place in the UK once I found a suitable one?

3) "Where will you spend most of the time during your academic year?"
Here I am not yet sure which option to chose. I plan to study full time in England while working on weekends / afternoons to improve my finances. Currently it does not look like I'm going to live in a dorm / on camps. This may however change. Which of the 3 options is best suited for me?

4) Maintenance Loan:
Can I change the requested maintenance loan at a later point when my living costs become clearer? I did ofcourse do some calculations, but I cannot confirm an exact amount yet. Is it advisable to apply for the maximum maintenance loan at this point in time? That being said, I know these are large sums that need to be paid back in the future.

5) National Insurance Number / Bank Details:
As I am not a UK national I dont have a national insurance number. I assume that my german insurance number will not work? Will I need to apply for one before I can send off my student loan application? Furthermore, the next step asks for bank details. Am I required to have a UK bank account, or can I continue using my german bank account? (I was a bit confused because it said "Your details must be for your own UK Bank or building society account)


There are some details that I simply cannot enter at this point in time. Despite this I was able to complete the vast majority of the application form thus far.


Thank you for reading this. Regards,
Galaxie!

1) no - pick your most likely option. It's easy to change this in August when you're sure
2) Skip this question - update in September when you know where you'll be living
3) "University or college"
4) If you don't like in the UK then you aren't eligible to apply for the maintenance loan. You should be completing the paper based EU16N form: http://media.slc.co.uk/sfe/1617/eu/eu_eu16n_form_1617_d.pdf
5) See above - you seem to be filling out the application for English residents and not the EU student application form.

Hi there.

Please be aware, you've indicated you will be working whilst studying and are from Germany.

If that's still the case, you can fill in the online application and apply to SFE as a Migrant Worker if you wish and not to the EU team on the above form.

Your maintenance loan can be adjusted at any point throughout the year on your online application.

As a student who does not hold a NINO, you will automatically have an interview arranged to obtain one after your application with us is approved and you have a valid UK address on your account.


Thanks.