Education (Student Support) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1998

Application for a loan

6.—(1) An eligible student shall apply for a loan in relation to an academic year by completing and submitting to the Department a loan application form not later than one month before the end of that academic year.

(2) A loan application form submitted by a student under paragraph (1) shall include—

(a) the student’s full name and his or her sex;

(b) the student’s United Kingdom national insurance number, unless he does not have one;

(c) his student loan account number, if he has applied for a loan before and the Department has informed him of his account number;

(d) details of the bank or building society account into which the loan will be paid, unless the student does not have such an account;

(e) the name, address and telephone number of two persons who know the student;

(f) a statement whether the student has ever been declared bankrupt or whether his estate has ever been sequestrated; and

(g) the amount the student wishes to borrow in relation to the academic year in respect of which the application is made not exceeding the relevant maximum amount specified in relation to his case in regulation 7.

(3) A student shall sign a declaration on the loan application form submitted by him under paragraph (1) that—

(a) the particulars given in the application form are correct to the best of his knowledge and belief;

(b) he will notify the Department of any change in them; and

(c) he will repay any amount lent to him, together with interest and applicable charges and penalties, in accordance with the Order and Regulations made thereunder from time to time.

(4) If a loan application form submitted by any student under paragraph (1) is received by the Department more than 30 days after the date on which the certificate of eligibility in relation to that student is signed the Department shall inquire of the institution which provides the student’s course whether the student is still attending that course, and not proceed with the application until the institution has satisfied it that the student is still attending the course.

(5) The Department on being satisfied that any person is an eligible student in relation to an academic year shall lend him for his maintenance the amount requested by the student under paragraph (2) for that year in accordance with and subject to regulation 8.

(6) Where a borrower has not in a loan application form requested the maximum amount of loan to which he is entitled under regulation 7 in relation to any academic year he may, on one further occasion only, apply to borrow an additional amount for that year provided that the additional amount, when added to the amount already applied for in the loan application form, shall not exceed the relevant maximum amount specified in relation to his case in regulation 7.

(7) An application under paragraph (6) shall be made in writing not later than one month before the end of the academic year and paragraphs (2)(a) to (d), (3) and (4) shall apply to it as they apply to an application made in a loan application form.

(8) The Department on being satisfied that a borrower who has made an application under paragraph (6) remains an eligible student and is entitled to borrow an additional amount for the academic year in question shall lend him the additional amount requested in accordance with and subject to regulation 8.