The Education (Student Support) (Wales) Regulations 2017

PART 3 APPLYING FOR SUPPORT AND PROVISION OF INFORMATION

Applications for support

9.—(1) A person must apply for support in connection with each academic year of a designated course by completing and submitting to the Welsh Ministers an application in such form and accompanied by such documentation as the Welsh Ministers may require.

(2) The Welsh Ministers may take such steps and make such inquiries as they consider necessary to determine whether the applicant is an eligible student, whether the applicant qualifies for support under these Regulations and the amount of support payable, if any.

(3) The Welsh Ministers must notify the applicant of whether or not the applicant qualifies for support under these Regulations and, if the applicant does qualify, the amount of support payable in respect of the academic year, if any.

Time limits

10.—(1) Subject to paragraph (2), the application must reach the Welsh Ministers no later than the end of the ninth month of the academic year in respect of which it is submitted.

(2) Paragraph (1) does not apply where—

(a) one of the events listed in regulation 15 occurs after the first day of the academic year in respect of which the applicant is applying for support under these Regulations, in which case the application must reach the Welsh Ministers within a period of nine months beginning with the day on which the relevant event occurs;

(b) the applicant is making a separate application for a fee loan under regulation 18 or a new fee loan under regulation 19 or a loan for living costs under regulation 41 or a college fee loan under Schedule 4 or is applying for an additional amount of fee loan under regulation 18(4), an additional amount of new fee loan under regulation 19(7), an additional amount of fee loan under regulation 20(7) or an additional amount of loan for living costs under regulation 53(3) or an additional amount of college fee loan under paragraph 10(2) of Schedule 4 in which case the application must reach the Welsh Ministers not later than one month before the end of the academic year to which the application relates;

(c) the applicant is applying to borrow an additional amount of loan for living costs under regulation 53(1), in which case the application must reach the Welsh Ministers not later than one month before the end of the academic year to which the application relates or within a period of one month beginning with the day on which the applicant receives notice of the increased maximum amount, whichever is the later;

(d) the applicant is applying for a grant under regulation 24, in which case the application must reach the Welsh Ministers as soon as is reasonably practicable;

(e) the applicant is making a separate application for a new private institution fee loan or an accelerated graduate entry fee loan, or an additional amount of a new private institution fee loan under regulation 21(7), or an additional amount of an accelerated graduate entry fee loan under regulation 22(6), in which case the application must reach the Welsh Ministers not later than one month before the end of the academic year to which the application relates;

(f) the Welsh Ministers consider that having regard to the circumstances of the particular case the time limit should be relaxed, in which case the application must reach the Welsh Ministers not later than such date as they specify in writing.

Information

11.  Schedule 3 applies in respect of the provision of information by an applicant and an eligible student.

Requirement to enter into a contract for a loan

12.—(1) To receive a loan under these Regulations an eligible student must enter into a contract with the Welsh Ministers on terms to be decided by the Welsh Ministers.

(2) The Welsh Ministers may require an eligible student to sign a contract by means of an electronic signature in such form as the Welsh Ministers may specify.