The Education (Student Support) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2009

Qualifying conditions for the loan for living costs – current system students

64.—(1) Subject to paragraphs (3) to (5), a current system student qualifies for a loan for living costs in connection with the student’s attendance on a designated course if the student is under the age of 60 on the relevant date and—

(a) where the student begins the course on or after 1st September 2009, the designated course does not lead to an equivalent or lower qualification unless the student’s status as an eligible student has been transferred to the current course pursuant to regulation 8 from a designated course which began before 1st September 2009 and the student does not have an honours degree from an institution in the United Kingdom; or

(b) he does not have an honours degree from—

(i) an institution in the United Kingdom; or

(ii) an institution in the Republic of Ireland for which he received financial support under previous regulations.

(2) The condition in paragraph (1)(a) or (b) does not apply where—

(a) the designated course leads to qualification as a social worker in Northern Ireland, medical doctor, dentist, veterinary surgeon or architect;

(b) the designated course began before 1st September 2009 and leads to qualification as a landscape architect, landscape designer, landscape manager, town planner or town and country planner;

(c) the current system student is eligible to receive any payment under a healthcare bursary the amount of which is calculated by reference to the student’s income or a Scottish healthcare allowance the amount of which is calculated by reference to the student’s income in respect of any academic year of the course; or

(d) the current system student is on a course for the initial training of teachers.

(3) A current system student does not qualify for a loan for living costs if—

(a) he is in receipt of funding from the Department to participate in a management development programme known as the Business Education Initiative; or

(b) the only paragraph in Part 2 of Schedule 2 into which he falls is paragraph 9.

(4) A current system student does not qualify for a loan for living costs in connection with the student’s attendance on a designated course if that course is a flexible postgraduate course for the initial training of teachers which is of less than one academic year’s duration.

(5) A current system student does not qualify for a loan for living costs if the student is a prisoner.