A review into the process for dealing with certain categories of student funding applications has been announced by education secretary Michael Russell.

The move came after it was revealed that some students had yet to receive any bursary or student loan payments for this academic year owing to delays in the processing of their applications by the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS).

David Wallace, deputy chief executive of the Student Loans Company, would now be reviewing the processes for dealing with late and complex student funding applications, Mr Russell said.

This would ensure that potential improvements were identified, while SAAS continued to deal with the remaining late applications and reprocess those with changes in circumstance or new information.

“Progress has been made over the past week, while changes to student support for next year will simplify the process for many,” he said.