Accessibility statement for Student Loans Company Limited

This website is run by Student Loans Company Limited ("SLC"). It is designed to be used by as many people as possible. You should be able to:

  • change colours, contrast levels and fonts
  • zoom in up to 400% without the text spilling off the screen
  • navigate most of the website using just a keyboard
  • navigate most of the website using speech recognition software
  • listen to most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent versions of JAWS (Job Access with Speech), NVDA (Non-Visual Desktop Access), and Voiceover)

We have made the website text as simple as possible to understand.

AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.

How accessible this website is

We know that some of the following parts of this website are not fully accessible:

  • older documents are in PDF format and are not fully accessible to screen reader software
  • in the part-time service, the screen reader is reading options along with the link text, which creates a lengthy process for users
  • documents in PDF format are not fully editable
  • images do not have clear and descriptive alternative text
  • widgets do not have hyperlinks or descriptive labels
  • HTML tags do not have correct language attribute
  • some features of the website are not compatible with all web browsers
  • progress bars do not clearly tell the user exactly where they are in the process
  • specific error message is not announced on the screen reader
  • non SLC (NVDA) issues can occur depending on what versions the customer is using
  • in the part-time and postgraduate service, the Welsh site has three issues where the language is not specified, translated or showing the correct language code
  • skip to main content links navigate to the incorrect field on some areas of the website

What to do if you cannot access parts of this website

If you need any of our letters, forms or guides sent to you in Braille or large print, email brailleandlargefonts@slc.co.uk with:

  • your address
  • your Customer Reference Number
  • what you need changing into Braille or large print
  • for large print, include the font size and the font type you need

Timescales for these requests vary depending on the content and the amount of the correspondence that need to be converted. Requests to convert correspondence into Braille can take up to 4-6 weeks, Large Font requests can take up to 2-3 weeks.

If there are any other parts of our website which you cannot access, please let us know by contacting us at accessibility@slc.co.uk.

Contacting us by phone or visiting us in person

We provide a text relay service for people who are D/deaf, hearing impaired or have a speech impediment.

Our offices have audio induction loops for those with difficulty hearing and are visiting our offices in person. Or, if you contact us before your visit, we can arrange a British Sign Language interpreter.

Find out how to contact us at www.gov.uk/government/organisations/student-loans-company.

Technical information about this website’s accessibility

SLC is committed to making its websites accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the "Accessibility Regulations").

This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 ("WCAG 2.1") AA standard due to the points bulleted below:

  • older documents are in PDF format and are not fully accessible to screen reader software. This fails WCAG 2.1, success Criterion 4.1 (Compatible)
  • in the part-time service, the screen reader is reading options along with the link text, which creates a lengthy process for users. This fails WCAG 2.1, success criterion 2.4.4 (Link purpose – In Context)
  • documents in PDF format are not fully editable. This fails WCAG 2.1, success Criterion 4.1 (Compatible)
  • images do not have clear and descriptive alternative text. This fails WCAG 2.1, success Criterion 1.1.1 (Non-text Content)
  • widgets do not have hyperlinks or descriptive labels. This fails WCAG 2.1, success criterion 3.3.2. (Labels or Instructions)
  • HTML tags do not have correct language attribute. This fails WCAG 2.1, success criterion 3.1.1. (Language of Page)
  • some features of the website are not compatible with all web browsers. This fails WCAG 2.1, success Criterion 4.1 (Compatible)
  • progress bars do not clearly tell the user exactly where they are in the process. This fails WCAG 2.1, success Criterion 2.4.10 (Section Headings)
  • specific error message is not announced on the screen reader. This fails WCAG 2.1, success Criterion 3.3.1 (Error Identification)
  • non SLC (NVDA) issues can occur depending on what versions the customer is using. This fails WCAG 2.1, success Criterion 4.1 (Compatible)
  • in the part-time and postgraduate service, the Welsh site has three issues where the language is not specified, translated, or showing the correct language code. This fails WCAG 2.1, success criterion 3.1.1. (Language of Page) 4.1.1 (Parsing) and 3.1.2 (Language of Parts)
  • skip to main content links navigate to the incorrect field on some areas of the website. This fails WCAG 2.1, success criterion 2.4.3. (Focus Order)

Content that is not within the scope of the Accessibility Regulations

Non-HTML documents published before September 2018 do not need to be accessible - unless users need them to use a service.

How we tested this website

Primarily, testing was done using the NVDA screen reader in the Chrome browser with additional checks being done using the JAWS screen reader and Firefox browser. Testing was performed to the WCAG 2.1 AA standard across desktop and mobile views including high zoom level views.

The testing was performed by SLC or SLC third party delivery teams with full and detailed audits carried out by User vision consultants.

Audits were determined by the changes to each service with new sections added or changed being audited. The new Salesforce technology was fully audited in its entirety between August 2021 and December 2021.

Full and detailed reviews were carried out in March 2022 on the academic year 2022 to 2023 application updates.

The part-time and postgraduate service received a review in April 2022 on the academic year 2022 to 2023.

We have tested our customer account management areas, available at the following links:

Reporting accessibility problems with this website

We are always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems that are not listed on this page or think we are not meeting accessibility requirements, contact: accessibility@slc.co.uk.

Enforcement procedure

The Equality and Human Rights Commission is responsible for enforcing the Accessibility Regulations. If you are not happy with how SLC respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Services, or the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland if you live in Northern Ireland.

What we are doing to improve accessibility

We plan to fix a significant amount of the issues identified during the March and April 2022 audit by November 2022

This statement was last updated on 04 May 2022 and published on 08 May 2022.