The Education (Postgraduate Doctoral Degree Loans and the Education (Student Loans) (Repayment) (Amendment) (No. 2) etc.) Regulations 2018

Eligible students

3.—(1) An eligible student qualifies for a postgraduate doctoral degree loan in connection with a designated course subject to and in accordance with these Regulations.

(2) Subject to paragraphs (3) to (9), a person is an eligible student in connection with a designated course if in assessing that person’s application for a postgraduate doctoral degree loan the Secretary of State determines that the person falls within one of the categories set out in Part 2 of Schedule 1.

(3) A person (“A”) is not an eligible student if—

(a) A has reached the age of 60 on the first day of the academic year in which the designated course starts;

(b) A is in breach of any obligation to repay any loan;

(c) A has reached the age of 18 and has not ratified any agreement for a loan made with A when A was under the age of 18;

(d) A has, in the opinion of the Secretary of State, shown by A’s conduct that A is unfitted to receive a postgraduate doctoral degree loan;

(e) A is a prisoner, unless A is an eligible prisoner;

(f) A is enrolled on a course which is a designated course under regulation 5 (designated courses) or 139 (designated part-time courses) of the student support regulations(1) or under regulation 4 (designated courses) of the 2016 Master’s Degree Regulations, and is receiving support under either set of regulations for that course;

(g) A has already obtained an equivalent or higher qualification;

(h) A is already enrolled on a designated course and is in receipt of a postgraduate doctoral degree loan under these Regulations for that course;

(i) subject to paragraph (9), A has previously received a postgraduate doctoral degree loan under these Regulations;

(j) A is, in connection with the course, in receipt of any allowance, bursary or award of similar description made by UKRI;

(k) A is eligible to apply for, in connection with the course—

(i) a healthcare bursary;

(ii) any allowance under the Nursing and Midwifery Student Allowances (Scotland) Regulations 2007(2); or

(iii) any allowance, bursary or award of similar description made under section 67(4)(a) of the Care Standards Act 2000(3) which includes payment for meeting additional expenditure incurred by A by reason of A’s disability, save to the extent that A is eligible only for such an allowance, bursary or award in respect of travel expenses; or

(l) subject to paragraph (9), A has previously received a loan other than under these Regulations in respect of a course, where that loan was paid out of funds provided by a government authority within the United Kingdom.

(4) Where the eligible student is undertaking a designated course which is a distance learning course, the student does not qualify for support in respect of that course unless the Secretary of State considers that the student is undertaking the course in England on the first day of the first academic year of the course, whether the course is a designated course at that date or is designated on a later date during the academic year.

(5) For the purposes of paragraph (4), a person (“A”) is to be treated as being ordinarily resident in England for any period during which A would have been so resident but for the fact that—

(a) A,

(b) A’s spouse or civil partner,

(c) in the case of a dependent direct relative in the ascending line, A’s child or child’s spouse or civil partner,

is or was temporarily employed in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland as a member of the regular naval, military or air forces of the Crown.

(6) An eligible student ceases to be eligible for a postgraduate doctoral degree loan in respect of a distance learning course if the Secretary of State considers that the student is undertaking the course outside the United Kingdom notwithstanding whether that student has previously been considered by the Secretary of State to be undertaking their course within the United Kingdom.

(7) Paragraphs (4) and (6) do not apply to a person who is treated as ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom by virtue of paragraph 1(5) of Schedule 1 on the basis of temporary employment falling within paragraph 1(6)(a) of Schedule 1.

(8) For the purposes of paragraphs (3)(b) and (3)(c), “loan” means a loan made under any provision of the student loans legislation.

(9) The Secretary of State may deem a person described in paragraph (3)(i) or (3)(l) to be an eligible student where the Secretary of State is of the view that the person had not been able to complete the course to which the previous loan related due to compelling personal reasons.

(10) The Secretary of State may only exercise the discretion under paragraph (9) once in respect of a particular student.

(1)

Regulation 5 was amended by S.I. 2013/1728, S.I. 2013/3106, S.I. 2014/2765, S.I. 2015/1951, S.I. 2017/114, S.I. 2018/136, S.I. 2018/137, S.I. 2018/434, S.I. 2018/443. Regulation 139 was amended by S.I. 2013/1728, S.I. 2013/3106, S.I. 2014/2765, S.I. 2018/137, S.I. 2018/434, S.I. 2018/443; S.I. 2018/472.

(2)

S.S.I 2007/151; relevant amending instruments are S.I. 2002/253, S.S.I. 2007/503, S.S.I. 2009/188, S.S.I. 2009/309, S.S.I. 2012/72, S.S.I. 2013/80, S.S.I 2016/82, S.S.I 2017/180.

(3)

2000 c.14; section 67(4)(a) was amended by Part 2 of Schedule 3 to the Regulation and Inspection of Social Care (Wales) Act 2016 anaw 2 (subject to savings and transitional provisions specified in S.R. & O 2017/309 articles 3 and 4 and Schedule 1).