Changing your name with Student Finance and the Student Loans Company

Who to tell#

Tell the body that funds you: Student Finance England, Student Finance Wales, the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) or Student Finance NI. GOV.UK lists a change of name among the changes you must report to Student Finance England, and says that once the year you applied for has started, you ask your university or college to report a change of course, but you still report a change of name yourself. Once you have left your course, the Student Loans Company runs your repayment account.

Student Finance England: a signed letter and a photocopy#

Student Finance England's guidance on updating your details asks for two things: a covering letter, and a clear photocopy of one document that shows the reason for the change. The documents it lists are a birth certificate, a marriage certificate, a final or conditional order, a decree absolute or decree nisi, a change of name deed, or a statutory declaration.

The letter must be signed and dated by you and must say what change is to be made and why; the guidance says that without this it will not be able to make the change. Include your customer reference number, which is in your online account. You can upload the letter and the copy through the account: sign in, choose your application, then "Upload supporting evidence", with a limit of 16MB a file. GOV.UK's page on changing an application also allows the letter and evidence to go by post. Because it asks for a photocopy, your original deed poll stays with you. If you do post an original document, GOV.UK's application guide says to include your customer reference number and a return address; documents come back within four weeks, with no need for a prepaid envelope.

Student Finance England's timescales page has no separate line for a change of name. It is updated most Mondays, and on 28 September 2026 it said to expect an update 22 working days after telling it about a change in your circumstances.

Student Finance Wales: a signed letter with evidence#

Student Finance Wales says you must write and tell it if you change your name or marital status, and that the letter must include your customer reference number, the date, your signature and evidence of the change. Its change of circumstances form has a section for a new name that asks for "appropriate documentary evidence", giving a marriage certificate and a deed poll as examples. Its contact page says to sign in to your online account to change your personal details, and its evidence guidance says the quickest way to send evidence is to upload a digital copy there. It does not say whether a copy of a deed poll is enough for a change of name, so ask before you post an original.

Student Finance NI: your account or form CO1#

Student Finance NI lists changing your name among the things to tell it, and says the quickest way is through your student finance account. On paper, section 1 of its change of circumstances form covers a change of name and asks for the same kind of evidence as Wales, a marriage certificate or deed poll for example; the form goes to your local Student Finance NI office. It also says you must keep your details up to date until your loan is repaid in full or cancelled, even after you finish your studies.

SAAS in Scotland: its own form, by email#

SAAS asks you to complete its change of name, gender and title form and email it, with a copy of one document from its list, to the address on the form. The list includes a deed poll or statutory declaration, a marriage or civil partnership certificate, a birth certificate, a Gender Recognition Certificate, a passport or driving licence in your new name, and a bank or mortgage statement in your new name.

SAAS says it will link your new name to your SAAS Account and will not attach anything about the change, the form included, to your record, though historic applications it must keep may still show earlier details. It also asks you to tell your college or university, including its disabled student advisers if you claim Disabled Students' Allowance, and, if you applied for a student loan, the Student Loans Company and the Department for Work and Pensions, because it shares your information with them.

Once you are repaying: the Student Loans Company#

If you are employed, GOV.UK says your repayments are taken from your salary at the same time as tax and National Insurance, and your payslips show how much. So your employer needs the new name as well: your employer and payroll.

The Student Loans Company's guidance for people who have finished or left their course covers the online repayment account, where you can update your address, phone number and email address. A change of name is handled differently: for a name changed "for example by deed poll or if you've got married", it says to call its repayment team. The numbers, with webchat and a postal address, are on GOV.UK's Contact the Student Loans Company page, under updating your details.

Tell your university or college too#

Your university or college keeps its own student record, so tell it too; SAAS makes a point of asking its students to. Ask the registry or student records team what it needs. Certificates already issued are a separate question, covered in exam and degree certificates.