The Education (Student Support) (No.2) (Amendment) and Education (Student Loan) (Repayment) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2017

Amendment of the Education (Student Support) (No. 2) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2009

17.  In regulation 117 (Conversion of status – eligible students transferring to designated distance learning courses)

(a) in paragraph (1), after “which”, insert “the”;

(b) after paragraph (3), add—

“(4) This paragraph makes provision for fee loan and distance learning fee loan where a student (“A”) transfers under paragraph (1)—

(a) no payment in respect of any fee loan must be made in respect of any instalment period beginning after the date on which A became an eligible distance learning student;

(b) any fee loan to which A was entitled under Part 4 immediately before A became an eligible distance learning student is ignored in determining the amount of distance learning fee loan to which A may be entitled in respect of that year under this Part;

(c) where the designated distance learning course into which A transfers continues in the same quarter of the same academic year of the designated course from which A transferred, the maximum amount of distance learning fee loan to which A would, apart from this regulation, be entitled to borrow in connection with undertaking a designated distance learning course in respect of that academic year is reduced by one third where A became an eligible distance learning student in the second quarter of the academic year and by two thirds where A became such a student in a later quarter of the academic year; and

(d) where the academic year of the designated distance learning course into which A transfers begins on a later date than the academic year of the designated course from which A is transferring, the maximum amount of distance learning fee loan to which A would be entitled to borrow in connection with that academic year, provided that the student qualifies for a distance learning fee loan in respect of that year, is the lesser of –

(i) £3,022.50; and

(ii) the fees payable by the student in connection with that year,

minus any grant paid under regulation 109(1)(a) in connection with that year.”.