A failure by StudyLink to process allowance and loan applications on time has left some Dunedin students with no income and it is claimed in a few cases desperate students have been forced to live in abandoned buildings.
Otago University Students' Association (OUSA) president Francisco Hernandez said the service at StudyLink was ''not good enough'', with more students than previous years visiting the association's foodbank after delays in getting their loan and allowance entitlements.
A small number of those who had visited OUSA's student support office after StudyLink delays had been forced to live in abandoned buildings because they could not afford to pay rent, he said.
Mr Hernandez said the delays students were encountering would not be accepted if they were pensioners and questioned why younger people were given worse treatment.
The problems students were having when dealing with StudyLink included long waiting times when trying to contact its call centre, being cut off while waiting to be spoken to and being sent blank letters.
Mr Hernandez himself had been ''randomly disconnected'' while trying to call StudyLink and was forced to redial and rejoin the queue.
He felt the problems were caused by a lack of call-centre staff, with a change in Studylink's online system making the situation worse.
In an effort to get the problems fixed, the New Zealand Union of Students' Associations had an urgent meeting with StudyLink last week, Mr Hernandez said.
Head of StudyLink Susan Kosmala said it was processing a higher number of applications than it had forecast this year. From the beginning of last October to the end of February, it had answered more than 426,000 calls, which was more than 30,000 more than during the corresponding period in the previous year. It was also receiving more late applications than in previous years, Ms Kosmala said.
In an effort to meet demand, it had recruited 330 extra staff to work during the peak period, she said.
''We are continuing to make improvements to answer as many calls as we can.''
She encouraged students to apply early and use its website instead of calling.
