The Education (Student Support) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2005

Designated courses

5.—(1) A course is a designated course for the purposes of Article 3(1) of the Order and regulation 4 if it is—

(a) mentioned in Schedule 3;

(b) one of the following—

(i) a full-time course;

(ii) a sandwich course; or

(iii) a part-time course for the initial training of teachers;

(c) of at least one academic year’s duration; and

(d) wholly provided by an institution or institutions in the United Kingdom or by a relevant institution or institutions of higher education in the Republic of Ireland which (in either case) are maintained or assisted by recurrent grants out of public funds or provided by such institution or institutions in conjunction with an institution or institutions outside the United Kingdom.

(2) For the purposes of paragraph (1)—

(a) a course is provided by an institution if it provides the teaching and supervision which comprise the course, whether or not the institution has entered into an agreement with the student to provide the course;

(b) a university and any constituent college or institution in the nature of a college of a university shall be regarded as publicly funded if either the university or the constituent college or institution is publicly funded; and

(c) an institution shall not be regarded as publicly funded by reason only that it receives public funds from the governing body of a higher education institution in accordance with section 65(3A) of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992(1).

(3) A course to which this paragraph applies shall be considered to be a single course for a first degree or for an equivalent qualification notwithstanding that—

(a) the course may lead to another degree or qualification being conferred before the degree or equivalent qualification; and

(b) part of the course may be optional.

(4) Paragraph (3) applies to a course the standard of which is not higher than a first degree which leads to a qualification as a medical doctor, dentist, veterinary doctor, architect, landscape architect, landscape designer, landscape manager, town planner or town and country planner.

(5) For the purposes of Article 3 of the Order and regulation 4(1) the Department may designate courses of higher education which are not designated under paragraph (1).

(1)

1992 c. 13; section 65(3A) was amended by the Teaching and Higher Education Act 1998 (c. 30), section 27