SFE Assessing Eligibility Guidance 2013/14 - Practitioners - Student ...

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2013/14 HE Student Finance Assessing Eligibility Guidance 90 days, which, divided by 5, gives 18 weeks). If that were the pattern in each academic year of the course, so that the average of (not less than) 18 weeks‟ full-time study in a year was maintained throughout, this course would attract support as a sandwich course. Conversely, a course would not attract support as a sandwich course if it required 2 days‟ study and 3 days‟ work experience per week over 30 weeks, in each academic year of the course, because the number of days of full-time study would add up to less than 18 weeks in each year (and thus less than 18 weeks a year on average). It could however attract part-time support if it met the definition of a part-time course in Regulation 139. Another possible example is of a 2 year sandwich course that required: Year 1 - 4 days‟ study and 1 day‟s work experience each week for 30 weeks. Year 2 - 2 days‟ study and 3 days‟ work experience each week for 30 weeks. There would be an aggregate of 24 weeks‟ study in Year 1 and 12 weeks‟ study in Year 2, averaging 18 weeks a year. The course would attract support. Where students will be undertaking weeks which alternate periods of full-time study in an institution and periods of work experience, the term dates from the HEI course database provided by the SLC will not provide sufficient information for SFE to determine the appropriate level of support (including extra weeks of support where appropriate). SFE will need to refer to the information provided by students in their applications; and they may also need to contact HEIs to ascertain attendance patterns. Provisions relating to the support available for old system students on sandwich placements are in regulations 31(2) and 32(2) (Amount of grants for fees), regulation 35(2)(a) (Amount of the Fee Contribution Loan), regulation 38(5) (General qualifying conditions for grants for living and other costs), and regulation 80(1)(b) (Maximum amounts of loans for living costs). Provisions relating to the support available for current system students on sandwich placements are in the appropriate parts of regulations 23(2)& (3) (Amount of the fee loan), regulation 38(5)(General qualifying conditions for grants for living and other costs), and regulation 80(1)(b) (Maximum amounts of loans for living costs). Further guidance on support available for sandwich placements is in the „Assessing Financial Entitlement‟ chapter of this guidance, which explains how the principle of aggregating days of study applies also to determining levels of support. The intention of the definitions of full-time and sandwich courses is to distinguish those courses which consist entirely of full-time study from courses which involve work experience. Courses involving periods of study and of work experience, even if the work experience placements are very short and amount to only weeks or Version 1.8 66
2013/14 HE Student Finance Assessing Eligibility Guidance parts of weeks (as they often do in the case of full-time HNC courses), should be treated as sandwich courses, and whether they are designated for student support will depend, among other things, on whether they meet the definition at Regulation 2(10). SFE will need to be observant of the difference between a sandwich course with periods of work experience and a part-time course. Regulation 2(10) specifies that the periods of experience must form part of the course and that they must be associated with full-time study at an institution. „Periods of work experience‟ are defined in regulation 2(1) and may include periods during which modern language students spend living and working in a country whose language they are studying on their course. Intercalated study (Regulation 5(7) & (8) 207. Certain courses which are not higher than first degree level and which lead to more than one qualification, either as an optional or integral part of the course, will be considered to be single courses (regulations 5(7) and (8)). These are: Medical, dental and veterinary science courses which include an intercalated first degree such as a BSc; Courses in architecture, landscape architecture, landscape design, landscape management, town planning and town and country planning where qualifications are awarded both at an intermediate point in the course and at the end. However, SFE should note that where the second part of a course leads to a postgraduate degree, that part should not attract support; Courses in architecture which are prescribed by the Architects Registration Board and which cover Part 1 and Part 2 but not Part 3. Part 2 of the course (years 4-5 of study) will attract support even if the student is additionally awarded a postgraduate degree (such as MArch) as long as the content of the course is undergraduate level and undergraduate level fees are charged. However, SFE should note that Part 2 should only be funded when taken by a student who has already taken Part 1 (or is exempted from Part 1) Note that there is no support provided during a year that a masters degree level course is intercalated into an undergraduate degree. Tuition fee support, maintenance grant/SSG and maintenance loan are unavailable post intercalation of masters as the student now holds an ELQ, except where the course leads to a qualification as a social worker, medical doctor, dentist, veterinary surgeon or architect in which case maintenance loan is available. Architecture courses (Regulation 5(7) & (8)) 208. The Department‟s understanding is that in order to potentially qualify to register as an architect a student must complete five years' study - years 1 to 3 being Part 1 (leading to a first degree) and years 4 and 5 being Part 2 (leading to a professional Diploma or equivalent qualification). Students are also required to complete two years worth of relevant practical experience. Students following the typical pattern of study normally complete one year of practical experience between Parts 1 and 2 and a further year at the end of Part 2. Version 1.8 67
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