Budapest, 8 September 2011 – From now on, clients of the Student Loan Centre can manage their administrative tasks relating to their Student Loan online, through the company’s new Student Loan Direct website. The launch of the new service comes with a change in the look of www.diakhitel.hu, which has become more dynamic and trendy. Student Loan recipients with a valid contract can easily and securely access the online administration interface at www.diakhiteldirekt.hu.
Loan recipients can report any changes in their details, review their balance and manage their administrative tasks relating to the amount of their loan through the new service. Upon applying for a Student Loan, new applicants can also make a Student Loan Direct contract. With a view to identification, the Student Loan Direct contracts have to be submitted in person at the branches of our partner banks and savings cooperatives, at post offices, or at higher education institutions. A list of the locations where contracts can be submitted is available at the Company’s website.
The system is already live and clients are encouraged to test its services, as there is not much time left until 15 September, the first deadline for Student Loan application in the current academic year. Students who have not applied for a Student Loan previously but who would like to receive their loan in October have to submit their applications by the deadline. Those who have already taken out a Student Loan previously are not required to submit a new application. However, they should enrol for their courses as soon as possible, as only students with a valid student status will receive their loan upon the first disbursement. In the autumn semester the first transfer will take place on 14 October.
In addition to the new, trendy look and the introduction of online services, the content of the site has also been updated in order to provide information to loan recipients more efficiently. From this summer, loan recipients can request the reduction of their monthly payments for a maximum of 24 months. The system of assignment has also changed: from now on students can transfer the assigned amount directly to their institution to cover dormitory costs, to finance studies abroad, and to pay for other fee-paying activities as well. The simplified consideration procedure of Targeted Interest Subsidy (TIS) is coming into effect on 1 January 2012. Mothers who receive pregnancy confinement benefit (TGYES), maternity benefit (GYES) or childcare allowance (GYED) can request the establishment of their eligibility directly at the Student Loan Centre. The TIS basically means that during the benefit period the state takes over the payment obligation of interest on the Student Loan from the beneficiary.
Since the start of the Student Loan scheme in 2001 close to 309,000 students have applied for a loan, and about 86,000 of them have already paid off their debt. In the academic year 2010/2011 over 18,000 new Student Loan recipients joined the scheme. Most new loan recipients came from the Universities of Pécs (5,325), Szeged (5,179) and Debrecen (5,049), but the number of new recipients who study at the Eötvös Lóránd University is also close to 5,000. In the 2010/2011 academic year the Student Loan Centre provided loans to its clients to the amount of HUF 21.5 billion, increasing the total amount of loans ever provided by the Company to HUF 219 billion.
