The Education (Student Support) Regulations 2011

Eligible postgraduate students E+W

159.—(1) An eligible postgraduate student qualifies, subject to and in accordance with this Part, for a grant to assist with the additional expenditure which the Secretary of State is satisfied the student is obliged to incur by reason of a disability to which the student is subject in respect of undertaking a designated postgraduate course.

(2) Subject to paragraph (4), a person is an eligible postgraduate student in connection with a designated postgraduate course if in assessing the student's application for support the Secretary of State determines that the student satisfies the conditions in paragraph (3).

(3) The conditions are—

(a) the person falls within one of the categories set out in Part 2 of Schedule 1; and

(b) by reason of a disability to which the student is subject, the student will be obliged to incur additional expenditure in respect of undertaking the course.

(4) A person (“A”) is not an eligible postgraduate student if—

(a) A is eligible to apply for, in connection with the course—

(i) a healthcare bursary;

(ii) any allowance under the Nursing and Midwifery Student Allowances (Scotland) Regulations 2007;

(iii) any allowance, bursary or award of similar description made by a Research Council;

(iv) any allowance, bursary or award of similar description made by A's institution which includes any payment for the purpose of meeting additional expenditure incurred by A by reason of A's disability; or

(v) any allowance, bursary or award of similar description made under section 67(4)(a) of the Care Standards Act 2000 M1 which includes payment for meeting additional expenditure incurred by A by reason of A's disability;

(b) A is in breach of an obligation to repay any loan;

(c) A has reached the age of 18 and has not ratified any agreement for a loan made with A when A was under the age of 18;

(d) A has, in the opinion of the Secretary of State, shown by A's conduct that A is unfitted to receive support; or

(e) subject to paragraph (5), A is a prisoner.

(5) Paragraph (4)(e) does not apply-

(a) in respect of an academic year during which the student enters prison or is released from prison; or

(b) where the current course began before 1st September 2012.

(6) For the purposes of paragraphs (4)(b) and (4)(c), “loan” means a loan made under any provision of the student loans legislation.

(7) In a case where the agreement for a loan is subject to the law of Scotland, paragraph (4)(c) only applies if the agreement was made—

(a) before 25th September 1991; and

(b) with the concurrence of the borrower's curator or at a time when the borrower had no curator.

(8) An eligible postgraduate student does not qualify for a grant under this Part if the only paragraph in Part 2 of Schedule 1 into which the student falls is paragraph 9.

(9) Subject to paragraph (10), where the current post graduate course begins on or after 1st September 2012, an eligible postgraduate student does not qualify for a grant under this regulation if the intensity of study during the academic year for which support is claimed is less than 25% [F1 of an equivalent full-time course].

(10) Regulation (9) does not apply where the student transfers to the current postgraduate course pursuant to regulation 163 from a course beginning before 1st September 2012.

(11) An eligible postgraduate student does not qualify for a grant under this Part unless the Secretary of State considers that the student is undertaking the course in the United Kingdom.

(12) Subject to paragraphs (15) to (17), if a person satisfies the conditions in paragraph (3)(b) and in paragraph (13) or (14)—

(a) paragraphs (3)(a) and (4) do not apply to that person; and

(b) the person is an eligible postgraduate student for the purposes of this Part.

(13) The conditions are—

(a) the person qualified as an eligible postgraduate student in connection with an earlier academic year of the current designated postgraduate course pursuant to regulations made by the Secretary of State under section 22 of the 1998 Act;

(b) the person was not ordinarily resident in Wales on the first day of the first academic year of the current designated postgraduate course; and

(c) the person's status as an eligible postgraduate student has not terminated.

(14) The conditions are—

(a) the Secretary of State has previously determined that the person is an eligible postgraduate student in connection with a designated postgraduate course other than the current designated postgraduate course;

(b) the student's status as an eligible postgraduate student in connection with the course referred to in sub-paragraph (a) has been transferred from that course to the current designated postgraduate course as a result of one or more transfers in accordance with regulations made by the Secretary of State under section 22 of the 1998 Act;

(c) the person was not ordinarily resident in Wales on the first day of the academic year of the course referred to in sub-paragraph (a); and

(d) the person's status as an eligible postgraduate student has not terminated.

(15) Where—

(a) the Secretary of State determined that, by virtue of being a refugee or the spouse, civil partner, child or step-child of a refugee, a person (“A”) was an eligible postgraduate student in connection with an application for support for an earlier year of the current postgraduate course or an application for support in connection with another designated postgraduate course from which A's status as an eligible postgraduate student has been transferred to the current postgraduate course; and

(b) as at the day before the academic year in respect of which A is applying for support begins, the refugee status of A or of A's spouse, civil partner, parent or step-parent has expired and no further leave to remain has been granted and no appeal is pending (within the meaning of section 104 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002),

A's status as an eligible postgraduate student terminates immediately before the first day of the academic year in respect of which A is applying for support.

(16) Where—

(a) the Secretary of State determined that, by virtue of being a person granted humanitarian protection or the spouse, civil partner, child or step-child of such a person, a person (“A”) was an eligible postgraduate student in connection with an application for support for an earlier year of the current postgraduate course or an application for support in connection with another designated postgraduate course from which A's status as an eligible postgraduate student has been transferred to the current postgraduate course; and

(b) as at the day before the academic year in respect of which A is applying for support, the period for which the person granted humanitarian protection is allowed to stay in the United Kingdom has expired and no further leave to remain has been granted and no appeal is pending (within the meaning of section 104 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002),

A's status as an eligible postgraduate student terminates immediately before the first day of the academic year in respect of which A is applying for support.

(17) Paragraphs (15) and (16) do not apply where A began the course in connection with which the Secretary of State determined that A was an eligible postgraduate student before 1st September 2007.

(18) An eligible postgraduate student may not, at any one time, qualify for support for—

(a) more than one designated postgraduate course;

(b) a designated postgraduate course and a designated distance learning course;

(c) a designated postgraduate course and a designated course;

(d) a designated postgraduate course and a designated part-time course.

Textual Amendments

F1 Words in reg. 159(9) inserted (1.8.2012) by The Education (Student Fees, Awards and Support) (Amendment) Regulations 2012 (S.I. 2012/1653), regs. 1(3), 34

Marginal Citations

M1 2000 c.14.