Sample checking

We no longer perform a sample check of auto-renewal students in the summer before the start of the academic year. The income check process for returners will now work the same as for new students.

As part of the ‘auto-rollover’ process for returners from academic year 2025/26, we'll send them for an income check as part of their assessment process.  This will be a system generated process.

When we've carried out the income check, the student’s application will fall into one of two scenarios:

• The income check keeps the household income below the required threshold and the application will automatically progress to 'approved'
• The income check moves the household income above the required threshold, and the application will automatically progress to 'missing evidence'. We'll then send a request for physical income documentation. This follows the current exception route for new students. No students are automatically rejected without us requesting evidence first

We’ll also ask a sample of new students to provide evidence that they’re dependent on the parents or guardians they listed in their original application.

We’ll remind you when the sample check happens each year.

If students do not supply evidence or fail the sample check, we'll stop future payments and attempt to recover any payments we’ve already made.

You should continue to make attendance confirmations on the Learning Centre Portal throughout the sample check process. This will let us quickly backdate any payments once the students have proven their eligibility.

If a student contacts you to say they’ve not received payments, please check that you’ve confirmed their attendance on the Learning Centre Portal. If you have confirmed the attendance, please ask the student to contact Student Finance Wales for help.