The Education (Student Support) (Wales) Regulations 2015

Fee grant

16.—(1) Subject to paragraph (2), an eligible student who qualifies for a fee grant may apply for a fee grant of an amount not exceeding the maximum available (in accordance with paragraph (3) or (4), as the case may be) in respect of, or otherwise in connection with, the eligible student’s attendance on a qualifying designated course.

(2) A fee grant is not available in respect of an academic year if—

(a) that year is a bursary year or an Erasmus year; or

(b) the designated course is an old flexible postgraduate course for the initial training of teachers.

(3) The maximum amount of grant available under this regulation to an applicant in respect of an academic year of a qualifying designated course where none of the circumstances in paragraph (5) apply is £2,085 or the amount by which the fees payable by the applicant exceed £1,380, whichever is the lesser.

(4) The maximum amount of grant available in respect of such an academic year under this regulation to an applicant where one of the circumstances in paragraph (5) applies is £1,045 or the amount by which the fees payable by the applicant exceed £680, whichever is the lesser.

(5) The circumstances are—

(a) the final academic year of the designated course where that year is ordinarily required to be completed after less than 15 weeks’ attendance;

(b) in respect of an academic year of a sandwich course beginning before 1 September 2012—

(i) during which any periods of full-time study are in aggregate less than 10 weeks; or

(ii) if in respect of that academic year and any previous academic years of the course the aggregate of any one or more periods of attendance which are not periods of full-time study at the institution (disregarding intervening vacations) exceeds 30 weeks;

(c) in respect of a course for the initial training of teachers (including a course leading to a first degree) which—

(i) began before 1 September 2010;

(ii) begins on or after 1 September 2010 where the student transfers to the present course pursuant to regulation 8 from a course for the initial training of teachers beginning before 1 September 2010; or

(iii) began on or after 1 September 2010 but before 1 September 2011 and in relation to which the student is a 2010 gap year student,

an academic year during which any periods of full-time study are in aggregate less than 10 weeks;

(d) in respect of an academic year of a course beginning before 1 September 2012 provided in conjunction with an overseas institution—

(i) during which the periods of full-time study at the institution in the United Kingdom are in aggregate less than 10 weeks; or

(ii) if in respect of that academic year and any previous academic years of the course the aggregate of any one or more periods of attendance which are not periods of full-time study at the institution in the United Kingdom (disregarding intervening vacations) exceeds 30 weeks.

(6) In these Regulations and subject to paragraph (7), “eligible student who qualifies for a fee grant” (“myfyriwr cymwys sydd â hawl i gael grant at ffioedd”), in relation to a qualifying designated course, means a new system eligible student who is a person whom the Welsh Ministers have determined in connection with the designated course falls within one of the categories set out in Part 2 of Schedule 1.

(7) A new cohort student or a 2012 accelerated graduate entry student is not an eligible student who qualifies for a fee grant.

(8) In these Regulations, “qualifying designated course” (“cwrs dynodedig cymhwysol”), in relation to a student who qualifies for a fee grant, means a designated course provided by a publicly funded institution in Wales.