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

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

65.—(1) Subject to paragraphs (4) to (6), an old system student who falls within paragraph (a), (b), (e)(i) or (f) of the definition of “old system student” in regulation 2 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.

(2) Subject to paragraph (4), an old system student who falls within paragraph (c), (d) or (e)(ii) of the definition of “old system student” in regulation 2 qualifies for a loan for living costs in connection with the student’s attendance on a designated course if the student meets the following conditions—

(a) is under the age of 60 on the relevant date; and

(b) 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.

(3) The condition in paragraph (2)(b) does not apply where—

(a) the designated course leads to qualification as a social worker, medical doctor, dentist, veterinary surgeon, architect, landscape architect, landscape designer, landscape manager, town planner or town and country planner;

(b) the old 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

(c) the old system student is on a course for the initial training of teachers.

(4) An old 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.

(5) An old 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.

(6) An old system student does not qualify for a loan for living costs if the student is a prisoner.