Updating your student finance details
Source: gov.uk (2025-08-14)

Guidance for students on how to update your personal, uni, college and course details using your online student finance account.

Need to update your personal details? You don’t need to call us, save yourself some time and update using your online account. (https://www.gov.uk/student-finance-register-login)

For answers to common queries about your student finance, visit our ‘How to’ guide. (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/student-finance-england-how-to-guide)

Watch our step-by-step tutorial on how to update your personal details!

Updating your personal details film (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nV-_1Eq1JdE)

It’s quick and easy to use your Student Finance account, watch our other ‘How to’ films (https://shorturl.at/cnGP0) for step-by-step tutorials.

Uni, college or course details

If your course hasn’t started yet

You can change your uni, college or course details through your online account (https://www.gov.uk/student-finance-register-login).

Watch our step-by-step tutorial on how to update your uni, college or course details.

How to change your application film (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWepzsByw8w)

For more information on going through Clearing, check out our dedicated page (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/guidance-for-students-going-through-clearing#if-youve-already-applied-for-student-finance).

If you’re unable to make the change online, you can upload a completed CO1 Form to your online account and we can make these changes for you.

Find more guidance on how to change your uni, college or course details for part-time and EU students. (https://www.gov.uk/apply-for-student-finance/change-an-application)

If your course has started

If the course you initially applied for has already started, you’ll need to ask your university or college to send us a request to update your university, college or course details on your application.

It will take 4 weeks to approve any changes to your application. It’s important to make any changes straight away. To ensure we can process your changes as quickly as possible, we ask you do not contact us during this time.

Contact details

You can change the following personal details online at any time during the academic year:

home address

contact address

email address

telephone number

If you’re unable to make the change online, you can upload a completed CO1 Form to your online account and we can make these changes for you.

Name

To change your name, we’ll need a covering letter with a clear photocopy of one of the following to show the reason for your name change:

birth certificate

marriage certificate

final of conditional order

decree absolute

decree nisi

Change of Name Deed (COND) - An un-enrolled COND is accepted, we do not need an enrolled COND.

statutory declaration

The covering letter must be signed and dated by you, confirming what change is to be made and the reason for the change, otherwise we’ll not be able to make the requested change.

You should also include your customer reference number in the covering letter - if you have one, you can find this on your online account.

This evidence can all be uploaded through your online account.

Title

If you want to change your title on your account, we don’t need any documents or evidence. You can ask us to do this by:

calling us (https://www.gov.uk/contact-student-finance-england)

live chat in your online account (https://www.gov.uk/student-finance-register-login)

writing to us at:

Student Finance EnglandPO Box 210DarlingtonDL1 9HT

If you’re writing to us to make this change please include your name, Customer Reference Number (CRN), the date and your signature on the letter.

If you want to use the gender-neutral title MX, you can ask for this.

Gender

If you want to change your gender on your account, we don’t need any documents or evidence. You can ask us to do this by:

calling us (https://www.gov.uk/contact-student-finance-england)

live chat in your online account (https://www.gov.uk/student-finance-register-login)

writing to us at:

Student Finance EnglandPO Box 210DarlingtonDL1 9HT

If you’re writing to us to make this change please include your name, Customer Reference Number (CRN), the date and your signature on the letter.

We won’t assume that a student has changed their gender. For example, if we get a change of name deed to a name associated with a different gender, we won’t change your gender on your account unless you ask us to.

Date of birth

Changes to your date of birth cannot be made through your online account as we require original evidence plus a signed and dated cover letter requesting the change. You should also include your customer reference number in the covering letter - if you have one, you can find this on your online account. Find out what evidence you can send us below.

If you have a UK birth certificate

We can accept:

a birth certificate

a letter from your doctor on headed paper containing your full name and your correct date of birth

a copy of your medical records that clearly show your full name and your correct date of birth, this must be signed and dated by your doctor

If you have a non-UK birth certificate

We can accept:

a naturalisation certificate

a home Office Document

Postal address:

Student Finance EnglandPO Box 210DarlingtonDL1 9HJ

Place of birth

The only way to update your place of birth is by the writing to us requesting the change. Please include your name, customer reference number (CRN), the date and your signature on the letter.

You may also be required to send evidence of your correct place of birth if we do not already have the evidence on file.

We can accept:
- a photocopy of a birth certificate
We are unable to accept a passport as evidence to change a place of birth.

Postal address:

Student Finance EnglandPO Box 210DarlingtonDL1 9HJ

Nationality

Do not worry if you have entered the wrong nationality on your application.

Once you have submitted your identity evidence as part of your application, we’ll automatically update your nationality on your account to match what is on your ID.

Bank details

You can change your bank details by signing into your online account (https://www.gov.uk/student-finance-register-login).

A few points to remember:

We can only make payments to a UK bank or building society account.

The account must be in your own name – we cannot make payments into third party accounts under any circumstance.

If you are expecting a payment - we require 4 working days’ notice to change your bank details so that the payment is made to your new bank account. Any changes made within this time will not take effect before the payment is due.

For a whole range of student finance information, visit our campaign page (https://studentfinance.campaign.gov.uk/) and follow us on:
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- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/studentfinance_england/)
- Twitter (https://twitter.com/SF_England)
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