10.—(1) An application for a postgraduate doctoral degree loan, or an application to amend the amount of loan applied for, must reach the Secretary of State no later than the end of the ninth month of the final academic year of the course.
(2) Paragraph (1) does not apply where the Secretary of State considers that having regard to the circumstances of the particular case the time limit is to be relaxed, in which case the application must reach the Secretary of State no later than such date as the Secretary of State specifies.