The Education (Student Support) Regulations 2011

Support for distance learning courses

124.—(1) For the purposes of this regulation, the support available is—

(a) a grant in respect of fees not exceeding the lesser of the following amounts—

(i) £1,230; and

(ii) the “actual fees”, being the amount of fees charged to the student in respect of an academic year of the designated distance learning course; and

(b) a grant not exceeding £265 for books, travel and other expenditure in connection with the designated distance learning course.

(2) An eligible distance learning student does not qualify for support under paragraph (1)(b) if the only paragraph in Part 2 of Schedule 1 into which the student falls is paragraph 9.

(3) An eligible distance learning student does not qualify for support under this regulation unless the Secretary of State considers that the student is undertaking the designated distance learning course in England.

(4) An eligible distance learning student does not qualify for support under this regulation if the student has undertaken one or more distance learning courses for eight academic years in aggregate and the student has received in respect of each of those academic years a loan or a grant of the kind described in paragraph (5).

(5) The loans and grants are—

(a) a loan, a grant in respect of fees or a grant for books, travel and other expenditure each made in respect of an academic year of a distance learning course pursuant to regulations made under section 22 of the 1998 Act;

(b) a loan, a grant in respect of fees or a grant for books, travel and other expenditure each made in respect of an academic year of a distance learning course by the Department for Employment and Learning (Northern Ireland) pursuant to regulations made under Articles 3 and 8(4) of the Education (Student Support) (Northern Ireland) Order 1998(1); or

(c) a loan in respect of an academic year of a distance learning course made pursuant to regulations made under sections 73(f), 73B and 74(1) of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980(2).

(6) An eligible distance learning student does not qualify for support under this regulation if—

(a) the distance learning course leads to an equivalent or lower qualification where the current course begins on or after 1st September 2009; or

(b) the student holds an honours degree from an educational institution in the United Kingdom where—

(i) the current distance learning course began before 1st September 2009; or

(ii) the current distance learning course begins on or after 1st September 2009 where the student transfers to the current course pursuant to regulation 131 from a distance learning course which began before 1st September 2009.

(1)

S.I. 1998/1760 (N.I. 14), to which there are amendments not relevant to these Regulations.

(2)

1980 c.44; section 73(f) was amended by the Teaching and Higher Education Act 1998 (c.30), section 29(1) and the Education (Graduate Endowment and Student Support) (Scotland) Act 2001 (asp 6), section 3(2). Section 73B was inserted by section 29(2) of the Teaching and Higher Education Act 1998 and was amended by section 34(1) of the Bankruptcy and Diligence etc. (Scotland) Act 2007 (asp 3). The functions of the Secretary of State were transferred to the Scottish Ministers by virtue of section 53 of the Scotland Act 1998 (c.46).