The Agriculture (Student Fees) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2023

PART 2 COURSES

Higher education courses

4.  A “ higher education course” means any of the following courses, delivered by CAFRE—

(a) at undergraduate level—

(i) a course for a Higher National Diploma or Higher National Certificate of—

(aa) the Business & Technology Education Council; or

(bb) the Scottish Qualifications Authority;

(ii) a Certificate in Higher Education course;

(iii) a Foundation Degree course;

(iv) an extended Foundation Degree course; or

(v) a Bachelor’s Degree course;

(b) at postgraduate level—

(i) a Postgraduate Certificate course;

(ii) a Postgraduate Diploma course; or

(iii) a Master’s Degree course.

Full-time higher education course

5.—(1) A “ full-time higher education course” means a higher education course which meets the conditions for undergraduate level in paragraph (2) or the conditions for postgraduate level in paragraph (3), as the case may be.

(2) The conditions are—

(a) it is of at least one academic year’s duration; and

(b) the total credit points to be awarded to a full-time student who successfully completes the higher education course, including any credit points transferred under the accreditation of prior learning scheme,—

(i) equates to 120 in each academic year of the course, excluding any academic year on a period of work placement; or

(ii) in the case of an extended foundation degree course, equates to—

(aa) 120 in the first academic year;

(bb) 60 in the second academic year; and

(cc) 60 in the third academic year.

(3) The conditions are—

(a) in the case of a postgraduate certificate course—

(i) it is of 15 weeks’ duration, excluding vacations; and

(ii) the total credit points to be awarded to a student who successfully completes the higher education course equates to 60;

(b) in the case of a postgraduate diploma course—

(i) it is of 30 weeks’ duration, excluding vacations; and

(ii) the total credit points to be awarded to a student who successfully completes the higher education course equates to 120;

(c) in the case of a Master’s degree course—

(i) it is of 45 weeks’ duration, excluding vacations; and

(ii) the total credit points to be awarded to a student who successfully completes the course equates to 180.

Part-time higher education course

6.—(1) A “ part-time higher education course” means a higher education course which meets the following conditions—

(a) it is of at least one academic year’s duration;

(b) it is ordinarily possible to complete the higher education course in not more than four times the period ordinarily required to complete the full-time equivalent; and

(c) the intensity of study in one academic year is less than or equal to 75%.

(2) In paragraph (1)—

(a) “period ordinarily required to complete the full-time equivalent” means the period in which a standard full-time student would complete the full-time equivalent or a full-time higher education course at the same FHEQ level where no full-time equivalent exists.

(b) “standard full-time student” is a student who is to be taken—

(i) to have begun the full-time equivalent on the same date as the part-time student began the part-time higher education course in question;

(ii) not to have been excused any part of the full-time equivalent;

(iii) not to have repeated any part of the full-time equivalent; and

(iv) not to be absent from the full-time equivalent other than during vacations.

Sandwich higher education course

7.—(1) A “sandwich higher education course” is a higher education course that meets the following conditions—

(a) it is not an extended foundation degree course;

(b) it consists of alternative periods of full-time study at CAFRE and periods of work placement; and

(c) taking the course as a whole, the student attends the periods of full-time study for an average of not less than 18 weeks in each academic year.

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

(a) in calculating the student’s attendance, the higher education course is to be treated as beginning with the first period of full-time study and ending with the last such period; and

(b) where periods of full-time study and work placement alternate within any week of the higher education course, the days of full-time study are aggregated with each other and with any weeks of full-time study in determining the number of weeks of full-time study in each academic year.