The Education (Student Support) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2009

Applications for support

134.—(1) A person (the “applicant”) must apply for support in connection with each academic year of a designated part-time course by completing and submitting to the Department an application in such form as the Department may require.

(2) The application must be accompanied by—

(a) a declaration under regulation 135 completed by the academic authority; and

(b) such additional documentation as the Department may require.

(3) The Department may take such steps and make such inquiries as the Department considers necessary to determine whether the applicant is an eligible part-time student, whether the applicant qualifies for support and the amount of support payable, if any.

(4) The Department must notify the applicant of whether the applicant qualifies for support and, if the applicant does qualify, the amount of support payable in respect of the academic year, if any.

(5) The general rule is that the application must reach the Department not later than the end of the sixth month beginning with the first day of the academic year of the course in respect of which it is submitted.

(6) The general rule does not apply where—

(a) one of the events listed in paragraph (3) of regulation 126 occurs after the first day of the academic year in respect of which the applicant is applying for support, in which case the application must reach the Department not later than the end of the sixth month beginning with the day on which the relevant event occurred;

(b) the applicant is applying for the disabled part-time students’ allowance, in which case the application must reach the Department as soon as is reasonably practicable; or

(c) the Department considers that having regard to the circumstances of the particular case the time limit should be relaxed, in which case the application must reach the Department not later than such date as it specifies.