Citation and commencement

1.  These Regulations may be cited as the Student Fees (Amounts) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2005 and shall come into operation on 18th July 2005.

Interpretation

2.  In these Regulations –

“the 2003 Regulations” means the Education (Student Support) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003(2);

“the 2005 Order” means the Higher Education (Northern Ireland) Order 2005;

“academic year” has the meaning given to it in regulation 2(6) of the 2003 Regulations;

“overseas institution” means an institution other than one in Northern Ireland, England, Wales, Scotland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man;

“sandwich course” has the meaning given to it in regulation 5(2) of the 2003 Regulations.

Prescribed basic and higher amounts

3.  Subject to regulation 4, for the purposes of Article 4 of the 2005 Order the basic amount is £1,200 and the higher amount is £3,000.

Prescribed basic and higher amounts for specified courses

4.  For the purposes of Article 4 of the 2005 Order the basic amount is £600 and the higher amount is £1,500 in the following cases –

(a)the final academic year of a course where that academic year is normally required to be completed after less than 15 weeks' attendance;

(b)in respect of a sandwich course, an academic year –

(i)during which any periods of full time study are in aggregate less than 10 weeks; or

(ii)if in respect of that academic year and any previous academic years of the course the aggregate of any one or more periods of attendance which are not periods of full time study at the institution (disregarding intervening vacations) exceeds 30 weeks;

(c)in respect of a course of initial training of teachers (including such a course leading to a first degree) an academic year during which any periods of full time study are in aggregate less than 10 weeks;

(d)in respect of a course provided in conjunction with an overseas institution, an academic year –

(i)during which any periods of full time study at the institution in the United Kingdom are in aggregate less than 10 weeks; or

(ii)if in respect of that academic year and any previous academic years of the course the aggregate of any one of more periods of attendance which are not periods of full time study at the institution in the United Kingdom (disregarding intervening vacations) exceeds 30 weeks.

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations, which come into operation on 18th July 2005, are the first Regulations made under Article 4 of the Higher Education (Northern Ireland) Order 2005 (“the Order”). Article 4 of the Order enables the Department for Employment and Learning to impose a condition in relation to any grant made to the governing body of any higher education institution in Northern Ireland. This condition requires the governing body to secure that the fees payable for a qualifying course by a qualifying student do not exceed either the basic amount specified in these Regulations, or, where an institution has an approved plan in force, the amount specified in that plan which is not to exceed the higher amount specified in these Regulations.

The Regulations prescribe the basic and higher amounts at £1,200 and £3,000 respectively. For an academic year of certain courses specified in regulation 4, lower basic and higher fee amounts of £600 and £1,500 respectively, apply instead.