Calculation of grant income
4.—(1) The amount of a student’s grant income to be taken into account in assessing the student’s income must, subject to sub-paragraphs (2) and (3), be the whole of the student’s grant income.
(2) There must be excluded from a student’s grant income any payment—
(a)intended to meet tuition fees or examination fees;
(b)in respect of the student’s disability;
(c)intended to meet additional expenditure connected with term time residential study away from the student’s educational establishment;
(d)on account of the student maintaining a home at a place other than that at which the student resides during the student’s course;
(e)on account of any other person but only if that person is residing outside the United Kingdom and there is no applicable amount in respect of that person;
(f)intended to meet the cost of books and equipment;
(g)intended to meet travel expenses incurred as a result of the student’s attendance on the course;
(h)intended for the child care costs of a child dependant;
(i)of higher education bursary for care leavers made under Part 3 of the Children Act 1989.
(3) Where a student does not have a student loan and is not treated as possessing such a loan, there must be excluded from the student’s grant income—
(a)the sum of £303 per academic year in respect of travel costs; and
(b)the sum of £390 per academic year towards the costs of books and equipment,
whether or not any such costs are incurred.
(4) There must also be excluded from a student’s grant income the grant for dependants known as the parents' learning allowance paid pursuant to regulations made under Article 3 of the Education (Student Support) (Northern Ireland) Order 1998 or section 22 of the Teaching and Higher Education Act 1998(1).
(5) Subject to sub-paragraphs (6) and (7), a student’s grant income must be apportioned—
(a)subject to sub-paragraph (8), in a case where it is attributable to the period of study, equally between the weeks in that period beginning with the reduction week, the first day of which coincides with, or immediately follows, the first day of the period of study and ending with the reduction week, the last day of which coincides with, or immediately precedes, the last day of the period of study;
(b)in any other case, equally between the weeks in the period beginning with the reduction week, the first day of which coincides with, or immediately follows, the first day of the period for which it is payable and ending with the reduction week, the last day of which coincides with, or immediately precedes, the last day of the period for which it is payable.
(6) Any grant in respect of dependants paid under section 63(6) of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968 (grants in respect of the provision of instruction to officers of hospital authorities) and any amount intended for the maintenance of dependants under Part 3 of Schedule 2 to the Education (Mandatory Awards) Regulations 2003 must be apportioned equally over the period of 52 weeks or, if there are 53 reduction weeks (including part-weeks) in the year, 53 weeks.
(7) In a case where a student is in receipt of a student loan or where the student could have acquired a student loan by taking reasonable steps but had not done so, any amount intended for the maintenance of dependants to which neither sub-paragraph (6) nor paragraph 8(2) other amounts to be disregarded) applies, must be apportioned over the same period as the student’s loan is apportioned or, as the case may be, would have been apportioned.
(8) In the case of a student on a sandwich course, any periods of experience within the period of study must be excluded and the student’s grant income must be apportioned equally between the weeks in the period beginning with the reduction week, the first day of which immediately follows the last day of the period of experience and ending with the reduction week, the last day of which coincides with, or immediately precedes, the last day of the period of study.