PART 7BASE GRANT AND MAINTENANCE GRANT
CHAPTER 1QUALIFYING CONDITIONS
Base grant and maintenance grant43
—A base grant and maintenance grant are grants made available by the Welsh Ministers to an eligible student in respect of the student's living and study costs.
Qualifying conditions for base grant and maintenance grant44
1
An eligible student qualifies for a base grant and a maintenance grant in respect of an academic year of the present course unless the eligible student falls within one of the following exceptions—
Exception 1 The eligible student is a prisoner, unless—
a
the present course is a part-time course, and
b
the eligible student enters or is released from prison in the academic year in question.
F4Exception 2 The only paragraph or paragraphs of Schedule 2 into which the eligible student falls is one or more of F6paragraphs 1(2)(d)(ii), 1(3), 4A(1)(b)(ii), 4A(2)(b)(ii), 6(1), 6A(1), 6A(2)(d)(ii), 6BA, 6BB, 6C, 6D, 7A(c)(ii) or 8A(1)(d)(ii).
Exception 3F9The academic year is a year in respect of which the student is eligible to apply for a healthcare bursary calculated by reference to the student’s income (whether or not the calculation results in a nil amount).
Exception 4 The present course is an accelerated graduate entry course.
F5Exception 5 The present course is a distance learning course and the student (“S”) is not in Wales on the first day of the first academic year of the course.
But this exception does not apply where—
a
S is not in Wales on the first day of the first academic year of the course because S, or a close relative of S, is serving as a member of the armed forces outside Wales, or
b
S is unable to be in Wales on the first day of the first academic year of the course for a reason related to coronavirus.
Exception 6 The eligible student is undertaking an academic year of a sandwich course during which the periods of full-time study are in aggregate less than 10 weeks (unless it is a year to which paragraph (2) applies).
2
This paragraph applies to an academic year of a sandwich course if, as part of the course, the eligible student undertakes—
a
a period of work experience with a body in the United Kingdom specified in paragraph (3), or
b
unpaid research—
i
in an institution in the United Kingdom, or
ii
outside the United Kingdom if the eligible student is attending an institution outside the United Kingdom as part of the course.
3
The bodies referred to in paragraph (2)(a) are—
a
a hospital;
b
a public health service laboratory;
c
a local authority or voluntary organisation exercising a function or carrying out activities relating to the care of children and young persons, health or welfare;
d
a body providing prison or probation services in the United Kingdom;
e
a health body listed in paragraph (4).
4
The health bodies are—
a
b
an NHS trust established under section 25 of the National Health Service Act 2006 or section 18 of the National Health Service (Wales) Act 2006;
c
an NHS foundation trust;
d
a Local Health Board established under section 11 of the National Health Service (Wales) Act 2006;
e
a Health Board or Special Health Board constituted under section 2 of the National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1978 M3;
f
the Regional Health and Social Care Board established under section 7 of the Health and Social Care (Reform) Act (Northern Ireland) 2009 M4;
g
the Regional Agency for Public Health and Social Well-being established under section 12 of that Act;
h
a health and social care trust (formerly called a health and social services trust) established under the Health and Personal Social Services (Northern Ireland) Order 1991 M5;
i
a special health and social care agency (formerly called a special health and social services agency) established under the Health and Personal Social Services (Special Agencies) (Northern Ireland) Order 1990 M6;
j
k
the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence established under section 232 of the Health and Social Care Act 2012 M7;
F3l
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CHAPTER 2BASE GRANT
Amount of base grant45
In Table 3, Column 2 sets out the amount of base grant available for the academic year set out in the corresponding entry in Column 1.
Column 1Academic year | Column 2Base grant available |
|---|---|
Beginning on or after 1 September 2018 | £1,000 for a full-time course £1,000 multiplied by the intensity of study for a part-time course |
CHAPTER 3MAINTENANCE GRANT
Amount of maintenance grant: full-time students46
1
Table 4 sets out the maximum amounts of maintenance grant available to an eligible student undertaking a full-time course (a “full-time student”) where—
a
Column 1 specifies the academic year in relation to which the amounts of maintenance grant specified in Column 3 are payable;
b
Column 2 specifies the location in which the student is living (see paragraph 3 of Schedule 1);
c
Column 3 specifies the maximum amount of grant available in respect of the corresponding entries in Columns 1 and 2.
2
Where—
a
the student's household income does not exceed £18,370, or
b
the student is a care leaver,
the amount of maintenance grant payable is the maximum amount of grant available in respect of the student's location.
3
Where the student's household income exceeds £18,370 but is less than £59,200, the amount of maintenance grant payable to the student is the maximum amount of maintenance grant available reduced by £1 for every—
a
£6.937 of household income exceeding £18,370 where the student is living at home;
b
£4.475 of household income exceeding £18,370 where the student is living away from home, studying in London;
c
£5.750 of household income F2exceeding £18,370 where the student is living away from home, studying elsewhere.
4
Where the full-time student's household income is £59,200 or more, the amount of maintenance grant payable is £0.
Column 1 Academic year | Column 2 Location of full-time student | Column 3 Maximum amount of maintenance grant available to full-time studen |
|---|---|---|
Beginning on or after 1 September 2018 | Living at home | £5,885 |
Living away from home, studying in London | £9,124 | |
Living away from home, studying elsewhere | £7,100 |
Amount of maintenance grant: part-time students47
1
Table 5 sets out the maximum amounts of maintenance grant available to an eligible student undertaking a part-time course (a “part-time student”) where—
a
Column 1 specifies the academic year in relation to which the amounts of maintenance grant specified in Column 2 are payable;
b
Column 2 specifies the maximum amount of grant available in respect of the corresponding academic year in Column 1.
2
If—
a
a part-time student's household income does not exceed £25,000, or
b
the student is a care leaver,
the amount of maintenance grant payable to the student is the maximum amount available multiplied by the intensity of study of the present course.
3
Where the part-time student's household income exceeds £25,000 but is less than £59,200, the amount of maintenance grant payable is calculated as follows— Step 1 Reduce the maximum amount of maintenance grant available by £1 for every £6.84 of household income exceeding £25,000. Step 2 Multiply the result of Step 1 by the intensity of study of the present course. The result is the amount of maintenance grant payable.
4
Where the part-time student's household income F7is £59,200 or more, the amount of maintenance grant payable is £0.
Column 1Academic year | Column 2Maximum amount of maintenance grant available to part-time student |
|---|---|
Beginning on or after 1 September 2018 | £5,000 |
Household income48
See Part 2 of Schedule 3 for provision about calculating an eligible student's household income.
Meaning of care leaver49
An eligible student is a “care leaver” if the student—
a
is under the age of 25 on the first day of the first academic year of the present course,
b
is, or has been, a category of young person defined in, or by virtue of, section 104 of the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 M8, and
c
between the student's 14th birthday and the first day of the first academic year of the course, the student—
i
was looked after, fostered or accommodated (within the meaning of sections 74 and 104 of the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014) for an aggregate period of 13 weeks or more, or
ii
was a person with respect to whom a special guardianship order (within the meaning given by section 14A of the Children Act 1989) M9 was in force for a period of 13 weeks or more.
CHAPTER 4SPECIAL SUPPORT PAYMENT
Special support payment50
1
Where an eligible student who qualifies for a base grant or, as the case may be, a maintenance grant, meets one of the qualifying conditions in regulation 51—
a
all of the base grant payable to the eligible student, and
b
an amount of maintenance grant payable to the student up to the maximum specified in regulation 52,
is to be treated as a special support payment.
2
A special support payment is a payment which is intended to meet—
a
the cost of books and equipment;
b
travel expenses;
c
childcare costs,
in connection with an eligible student undertaking a designated course.
Special support payment: qualifying conditions51
An eligible student qualifies for a special support payment in respect of an academic year of the present course if the eligible student satisfies one of the following conditions— Condition A The eligible student, for the purposes of assessing entitlement to income support, falls within a prescribed category of person for the purposes of section 124(1)(e) M10 of the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992. Condition B The eligible student, for the purposes of assessing entitlement to housing benefit, is treated as being liable to make payments in respect of a dwelling prescribed by regulations made under section 130(2) of that Act M11. Condition C The eligible student, for the purposes of assessing entitlement to universal credit, is liable or is treated as being liable under regulation 25(3) of the Universal Credit Regulations 2013 M12 to make payments in respect of accommodation the student occupies as his or her home.
Maximum amount of maintenance grant treated as special support payment52
In Table 6, Column 2 sets out the maximum amount of maintenance grant payable as special support payment in respect of the academic year set out in the corresponding entry in Column 1.
Column 1Academic year | Column 2Maximum amount of maintenance grant payable as part of a special support payment |
|---|---|
Beginning on or after 1 September 2018 | £4,161 for a full-time course £5,000 multiplied by the intensity of study for a part-time course |