The Education (Student Support) Regulations 2011

[F1 CHAPTER 4 E+W Payments in connection with loans for living costs

Textual Amendments

F1 Pt. 11B inserted (with application in accordance with reg. 1(2)(b) of the amending S.I.) by The Education (Student Support) (Amendment) (No. 3) Regulations 2018 (S.I. 2018/472), reg. 1(2)(a), Sch. 1

Provision of United Kingdom national insurance number E+W

157O.— (1) The Secretary of State may make it a condition of entitlement to payment of any loan under this Part that the eligible part-time student must provide the Secretary of State with the student’s United Kingdom national insurance number.

(2) Where the Secretary of State has imposed a condition under paragraph (1), the Secretary of State must not make any payment of the loan to the eligible part-time student before the Secretary of State is satisfied that the student has complied with that condition.

(3) Despite paragraph (2), the Secretary of State may make a payment of loan to an eligible part-time student if the Secretary of State is satisfied that owing to exceptional circumstances it would be appropriate to make such a payment without the eligible part-time student having complied with the condition imposed under paragraph (1).

Information requirements and agreements to repay loans for living costs E+W

157P.— (1) The Secretary of State may at any time request from an eligible part-time student information that the Secretary of State considers is required to recover a loan for living costs.

(2) The Secretary of State may at any time require an eligible part-time student to enter into an agreement to repay a loan for living costs by a particular method.

(3) The Secretary of State may at any time request from an eligible part-time student sight of their valid national identity card, valid passport issued by the state of which they are a national or their birth certificate.

(4) Where the Secretary of State has requested information under this regulation, the Secretary of State may withhold any payment of a loan for living costs until the person provides what has been requested or provides a satisfactory explanation for not complying with the request.

(5) Where the Secretary of State has required an agreement as to the method of repayment under this regulation, the Secretary of State may withhold any payment of a loan for living costs until the person provides what has been required.

Payment of loans for living costs E+W

157Q.— (1) The Secretary of State may pay loans for living costs under this Part in instalments.

(2) Subject to paragraph (4), the Secretary of State may pay loans for living costs at such times as the Secretary of State considers appropriate.

(3) An academic authority is required to send an attendance confirmation to the Secretary of State.

(4) The Secretary of State must not pay the first instalment under this Part or, where it has been determined not to pay the loan for living costs by instalments, make any payment of loans for living costs to the eligible part-time student before the Secretary of State has received an attendance confirmation from the relevant academic authority, unless an exception applies.

(5) An exception applies if the Secretary of State has determined that owing to exceptional circumstances it would be appropriate to make a payment without receiving an attendance confirmation.

(6) Where a final assessment cannot be made on the basis of the information provided by the student, the Secretary of State may make a provisional assessment and payment of support under this Part.

(7) Payments of loans for living costs are to be made in such manner as the Secretary of State considers appropriate and the Secretary of State may make it a condition of entitlement to payment that the eligible part-time student must provide the Secretary of State with particulars of a bank or building society account in the United Kingdom into which payments may be made by electronic transfer.

(8) Where the Secretary of State has made any payment of a loan for living costs under this Part and a student who qualifies for a loan for living costs under this Part applies for such a loan or applies for an additional amount of loan in respect of an academic year, the Secretary of State may pay that loan or that additional amount of loan in such instalments (if any) and at such times as the Secretary of State considers appropriate as soon as is reasonably practicable after a satisfactory application has been received.

(9) Subject to paragraph (10), no loan for living costs under this Part is due in respect of any day of an academic year on which the eligible student is a prisoner, unless in the opinion of the Secretary of State it would be appropriate in all the circumstances for a loan for living costs to be paid in respect of that day.

(10) In deciding whether it would be appropriate for a loan for living costs to be due under paragraph (9) the circumstances to which the Secretary of State must have regard include the financial hardship which not paying the loan would cause and whether not paying the support would affect the student’s ability to continue the course.

(11) No loan for living costs under this Part in respect of the current course is due in respect of any payment period beginning after an eligible part-time student’s period of eligibility terminates.

(12) No loan for living costs under this Part is due in respect of a payment period during part of which an eligible part-time student is absent from the course, unless in the opinion of the Secretary of State it would be appropriate in all the circumstances for a loan for living costs to be paid in respect of the period of absence.

(13) In deciding whether it would be appropriate for a loan for living costs to be due under paragraph (12) the circumstances to which the Secretary of State must have regard include the reasons for the student’s absence, the length of the absence and the financial hardship which not paying the loan would cause.

(14) An eligible part-time student is not to be considered absent from the student’s course if the student is unable to attend due to illness and the student’s absence has not exceeded 60 days.

(15) Where, after the Secretary of State has made any payment of a loan for living costs under this Part for which a student qualifies in respect of an academic year, the Secretary of State makes a determination that the amount of loan for living costs for which the student qualifies is less than the amount previously determined either by way of a revision of a provisional assessment or otherwise—

(a) the Secretary of State must subtract from any amount of loan which remains to be paid under this Part such amount as is necessary to ensure that the student does not borrow an amount of loan under this Part which is greater than that for which the student qualifies;

(b) if the amount to be subtracted is greater than the amount of loan remaining to be paid under this Part, the amount of that loan remaining to be paid is reduced to nil;

(c) any remaining overpayment is recoverable in accordance with regulation 157R.

(16) In this regulation—

(a) “attendance confirmation” means—

(i) confirmation from the academic authority that the student has enrolled for the academic year where—

(aa) the student is applying for support in connection with a designated part-time course for the first time;

(bb) the student has a disability; and

(cc) the student is undertaking the course but not attending (regardless of whether the reason for not attending relates to the student’s disability);

(ii) confirmation from the academic authority that the student has been present at the institution and begun to attend the course where—

(aa) the student is applying for support in connection with a designated part-time course for the first time;

(bb) the student’s status as an eligible part-time student has not been transferred to the course from another designated part-time course at the same institution;

(cc) the student’s status has not been converted to that of an eligible part-time student after the student has transferred from a designated course to a designated part-time course at the same institution; and

(dd) sub-paragraph (i)(cc) does not apply; or

(iii) confirmation from the academic authority that the student has enrolled for the academic year where—

(aa) the student is applying for support in connection with a designated part-time course other than for the first time;

(bb) the student is applying for support in connection with a designated part-time course for the first time after the student’s status as an eligible part-time student has been transferred to that course from another designated part-time course at the same institution; or

(cc) the student is applying for support in connection with a designated part-time course for the first time after the student’s status as an eligible student has been converted to that of an eligible part-time student after the student has transferred from a designated course to a designated part-time course at the same institution;

(b) “payment period” means a period in respect of which the Secretary of State pays loans for living costs or would have paid such support if the eligible part-time student’s period of eligibility had not terminated.

Overpayments of loans for living costs E+W

157R.— (1) A part-time student must, if so required by the Secretary of State, repay any amount paid to the student under this Part which for whatever reason exceeds the amount of loans for living costs to which the student is entitled under this Part.

(2) Any overpayment of a loan for living costs in respect of any academic year is recoverable by the Secretary of State from the student to whom the payment was made.

(3) The methods of recovery are—

(a) subtracting the overpayment from any kind of grant or loan payable to the student from time to time pursuant to regulations made by the Secretary of State under section 22 of the 1998 Act;

(b) requiring the student to repay the loan in accordance with regulations made under section 22 of the 1998 Act;

(c) taking such other action for the recovery of an overpayment as is available to the Secretary of State.]