# The Lifelong Learning (Student Support) (Amendment of Fees and Awards etc.) Regulations 2026, Regulation 17: Time limits

Extent: E+W

(1) The general rule is that—
(a) in the case of a course that lasts less than 12 months, an application for support must reach the Secretary of State by the earlier of—
(i) the end of the ninth month of the course year in which the course starts, or
(ii) the end date of the course;
(b) in the case of a course that lasts 12 months or longer, an application for support must reach the Secretary of State by the earlier of—
(i) the end of the ninth month of the course year in respect of which the applicant is applying for support, or
(ii) the end date of the course.
(2) The general rule does not apply where any of paragraphs (3) to (11) apply.
(3) Where an in-year qualifying event or a course designation event occurs after the first day of the course year in respect of which the applicant is applying for support, the application must reach the Secretary of State by the earlier of—
(a) the end of the period of nine months that begins with the day on which the event occurred, or
(b) the end date of the course.
(4) Where the applicant is making a separate application for a fee loan or for a loan for living costs or is applying for an additional amount of fee loan and paragraph (5) or (6) applies, or where the applicant is applying for an additional amount of loan for living costs and paragraph (7) applies, the application must reach the Secretary of State by the earlier of—
(a) one month before the end of the course year to which the application relates, or
(b) the end date of the course.
(5) If a student's status as an eligible student is transferred from one designated course to another under regulation 14, the student may apply to borrow an additional amount by way of a fee loan in respect of the course year of the course to which that student transfers.
(6) Where a student has applied for a fee loan of less than the maximum amount available in relation to a course year, the student may apply to borrow an additional amount which, when added to the amount already applied for, does not exceed the maximum applicable in the student's case.
(7) Where a student has applied for a loan for living costs of less than the maximum amount to which the student is entitled in relation to the course year, the student may apply to borrow an additional amount which, when added to the amount already applied for, does not exceed the maximum applicable in the student's case.
(8) Where the applicant is applying to borrow an additional amount of loan for living costs in the circumstances set out in paragraph (9), the application must reach the Secretary of State by the later of—
(a) one month before the end of the course year to which the application relates, or
(b) within a period of one month beginning with the day on which the applicant receives notice of the increased maximum amount.
(9) The circumstances are—
(a) the Secretary of State determines that the maximum amount of loan for living costs in relation to a course year should be increased (including an increase from nil) as a result of a reassessment of the student's household income under Schedule 7 or otherwise, and
(b) the Secretary of State considers that the increase in the maximum amount of the loan in question does not result from the eligible student—
(i) failing to provide information promptly, which might affect the student's ability to qualify for the loan or loans in question or the amount of loan or loans in question for which the student qualifies, or
(ii) providing information that is inaccurate in any material particular.
(10) Where the applicant is applying for the disabled students’ allowance, the application must reach the Secretary of State as soon as is reasonably practicable.
(11) Where the Secretary of State considers that, having regard to the circumstances of the particular case, the time limit should be relaxed, the application must reach the Secretary of State no later than such date as the Secretary of State specifies.

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2026/858/regulation/17 (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/lifelong-learning-student-support-amendment-of-fees-and-awards-etc-regulations-2026/regulation-17
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.