Debt Collection in the Education Sector

Published Monday 01 September 2008

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Over the past few years, The Lewis Group has developed a particular specialism working in the Further and Higher education sectors.  It works with many colleges and universities throughout England and Scotland, helping them meet the challenges of what can be a tricky and sensitive subject: student debt.

“We are sympathetic to, and have a clear understanding of, students and student debt, and have the specialist skills, techniques and staff required to get results,” explains John Paton who manages The Lewis Group’s education portfolio. “We collect all manner of debts, from student tuition fees, bursary debts and accommodation charges, through to sundry debts such as library fines and commercial invoices. The values of debts range from larger tuition fees through to the smaller library book debts, but they all add up and often the college does not have the resource to cope. This is where we can help.

“Essential to working in this sector,” John continues, “is understanding that many of the colleges’ debts are cyclical, and tend to concertina at different parts of the year, which means being flexible in the service we deliver and working closely with our clients during the periods when they need us most.  One of the biggest challenges at the moment is debt from overseas students, as in-house teams might not have the time or the experience to collect debts from overseas, and again this is where we can step in.

“The key to collecting most college debts is to refer them as early as possible,” John adds. “Taking action swiftly will bring in the cash much more quickly. Students are more likely to settle their debts in full, or at least arrange an instalment plan to a realistic timescale. Absconded debtors can be traced, and any overseas cases that cannot be actioned successfully from our offices in the UK, can be passed to one of our worldwide network of agencies who may pursue debts on our behalf in the country of origin of the debtor to maximise success.”

Importantly, The Lewis Group is a founder member of the Credit Services Association, which means it follows a strict Code of Practice. In addition, it is members of American and European trade bodies, ACAI and FENCA.