The Further Education Loans Regulations 2012

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations provide for fee loans for students taking designated further education courses which begin on or after 1st September 2013.

Regulation 3 makes provisions about which students are eligible for a fee loan. Prisoners studying in English prisons for all or part of a further education course may be eligible for a loan. Regulation 3(2) prohibits an eligible student from having more than one fee loan at any time.

Regulation 4 makes provision about which types of further education courses are designated for the purposes of the fee loan system. Loans are available for full time and part time courses and for distance learning courses. Regulations 5, 8 and 9 make provision for the time periods during which a student is eligible for a fee loan and how transfers to alternative further education courses affect eligibility.

Part 3 makes provision for the application process. A student cannot apply for a fee loan retrospectively.

Part 4 explains how many loans a student may be entitled to. A student is entitled to a maximum of 4 loans and may be entitled to others at the discretion of the Secretary of State. Regulation 15(4) prohibits an eligible student from having more than one fee loan at any one time.

Part 5 makes provision for the payment of a fee loan following confirmation of attendance from the course provider.

A full regulatory impact assessment of the effect that this instrument will have on the costs of business and the voluntary sector is available from the BIS website (www.bis.gov.uk). It is also annexed to the Explanatory Memorandum which is available alongside the Regulations on the OPSI website (www.opsi.gov.uk).