Higher Education Grants Scheme

Information

You can apply for the Higher Education Grants Scheme if you are a student undertaking an approved full-time undergraduate course of at least 2 years in duration or a full-time postgraduate course. You must meet a number of criteria to qualify for the grant including academic attainment and a means test.

For approved undergraduate courses in Ireland and other EU member states maintenance grants are available but there are no fee grants for courses in other EU member states. For approved postgraduate courses in Ireland and Northern Ireland grants are available for maintenance and fees. See 'Rules' below for details of approved courses and eligibility criteria. Full details of the Higher Education Grants Scheme are available on the website of the Department of Education and Skills.

There is detailed information on the range of grants and funds for students in further and higher education on the website studentfinance.ie. 

Changes in Budget 2010

Budget 2010 introduced several changes to student support schemes:

• Student grants and scholarships were reduced by 5%. This reduction applies to all existing and new grant-holders from January 2010. 
• People who are getting Back to Education Allowance will not be eligible for student support grants. However, this does not affect any entitlement they may have to exemption from college fees or student support charges, so they should still complete a grant application form. This applies to all new applicants from 2010 onwards.
• In addition, support under the Millennium Partnership Scheme was withdrawn.

Proposed changes to student support scheme

The Student Support Bill 2008 (pdf) has been published. It proposes a number of changes including:

• A new single unified grant scheme to be administered by the vocational education committees (VECs)
• New independent appeals board to be introduced

Residence requirement: one of the Bill's changes is a new requirement for the grant applicant to be resident in the State for 3 of the previous 5 years. Although the Bill has not passed this new residence requirement has been introduced for grant applications for 2010/2011- see 'Residence' below. The other existing arrangements continue to apply to grant applications for 2010/2011.

Rules

The Higher Education Grants Scheme applies to you if you:

• Are starting an approved course for the first time in the academic year in question.
• Are a mature student, who in the academic year in question is either entering in order to complete an approved course at undergraduate level for the first time or re-entering in order to pursue or complete an approved course at postgraduate level for the first time or already hold a postgraduate qualification and are re-entering to progress to a further postgraduate course which represents progression. (In order to be considered a mature student, you need to be at least 23 years of age on January 1 of the year you enter your chosen course).
• Have attended but not successfully completed an approved course and are returning following a break of at least 5 years in order to pursue an approved course at the same level in the academic year in question. In this instance, you will be considered a Second Chance Student

To be eligible for a grant under this scheme, you must also fulfil the following conditions as to residence, age, academic attainments, means and nationality.

Budget 2010: if you are getting Back to Education Allowance you will not be eligible for a grant. However, this does not affect any entitlement you may have to exemption from college fees or student support charges, and you should still complete a grant application form.

Residence

Your parents or guardians or, you yourself if you are an independent mature candidate, must have been ordinarily resident in the administrative area of the local authority from 1 October prior to applying for the grant. The local authority has discretion to waive this requirement in exceptional circumstances.

There is a new requirement for grant applications for 2010/2011 that you must be resident in the State for 3 of the previous 5 years. There are some exceptions to this requirement, which are described on studentfinance.ie.

Age

You must be at least 17 years of age on January 1 of the year following your application.

Nationality

In order to get a maintenance grant you must:

• Be a national of an EU member state or an EEA member state or Switzerland or
• Have refugee status or
• Have been granted humanitarian leave to remain in Ireland (foreign nationals granted leave to remain under the Irish Born Child scheme - IBC/05 are not eligible) or
• Are eligible for subsidiary protection or have been granted leave to remain under the European Communities (Eligibility for Protection) Regulations 2006 or
• Have permission to remain following a determination not to make a deportation order or
• Have permission to remain in Ireland by virtue of marriage to an Irish national living here or be the child of such a person or 
• Have permission to remain in Ireland by virtue of marriage to a national of another EU member state who is living in Ireland or be the child of such a person

Approved courses

The courses approved under this scheme are:

(a) Full-time undergraduate courses of not less than 2 years' duration or full-time postgraduate courses of not less than one year duration taken in one of the approved institutions

(b) Full-time undergraduate courses of not less than 2 years' duration taken in a publicly-funded university or third-level institution in another EU member state, with the exception of the following:

• Courses provided in a college that are offered in private commercial third-level colleges in the State and that are validated by that college
• Courses in colleges akin to private commercial colleges in Ireland

(c) Full-time undergraduate courses of a minimum duration of 1 year in one of the approved institutions that represent progression from a FETAC Level 5 qualification and that lead to the award of a qualification of third-level standard following a terminal examination

(d) Full-time undergraduate courses of a minimum duration of 1 year in one of the approved institutions which represent progression from a Level 7 (Ordinary Bachelor Degree or National Diploma) course to an add-on Level 8 (Honours Bachelor Degree) course

Independent mature candidates

Candidates who were ordinarily resident with their parents from October 1 of the year preceding the year of entry to the course are considered dependent on their parents and their income is assessed together with their parents income(s). Independent mature candidates are candidates over 23 who live separately from their parents from October 1 of the year preceding the year of entry to the course. They are assessed on their own income.

Family income limits

The family income limits for eligibility for a maintenance grant (for the period 1 January to 31 December 2009) are set out below.

* Full student service charge is paid where income is at or below this level.

In the 2010/2011 academic year, where 2 or more children (or the candidate's parent) are pursuing the courses listed below, the reckonable income limits may be increased as follows:

• In Full Maintenance and Exemption from SSC categories by €4,980 where there are 2 such children, €9,960 where there are 3 such children and so on, by increments of €4,980
• In Part Maintenance 75%, 50% and 25% categories by €4,815 where there are 2 such children, €9,630 where there are 3 such children and so on, by increments of €4,815

The courses in question are:

• Full-time third-level courses
• Recognised PLC courses, student nurse training or student garda training
• Fáilte Ireland courses of at least one year's duration
• Full-time Teagasc courses in agricultural colleges
• Recognised full-time further education courses of at least one year's duration in Northern Ireland

Special rates of grant for disadvantaged students

Disadvantaged students who meet a number of conditions can qualify for special rates of grants.

Applicants must qualify for the ordinary maintenance grant for the academic year 2010/2011 and total reckonable income in the tax year January to December 2009 must not exceed €22,703 net of Qualified Child Increases and standard exclusions.

For students, including mature students, who are assessed on parent(s)/guardian income, their parent(s)/guardian must, on 31 December 2009, have been:

• Claiming long-term social welfare payments, or
• Claiming Family Income Supplement or
• Participating in designated programmes (for example, FÁS training programmes).

For students assessed on their own income, on 31 December 2009, the student must have been receiving an eligible (long-term) social welfare payment (including long-term Jobseeker's Allowance), or Family Income Supplement or participating in a designated programme.

Rates

Budget 2010 reduced the rates of all student grants and scholarships by 5%. This reduction applies to all existing and new grant-holders from January 2010.

Changes in grant rates are considered during the annual Budget process and become effective in January at the beginning of the financial year rather than at the start of the academic year in September.

The ordinary rates of the maintenance grant for 2010 are:

The adjacent rate of maintenance grant is payable where the student lives 24 kilometres or less from the college he/she plans to attend. The non-adjacent rate applies to everyone else, including all mature students both dependent and independent.

Special rates
The special rate is paid to qualifying students on top of the maximum rate of the standard maintenance grant.
For students getting the non-adjacent rate of maintenance grant (€3,250) the top-up in 2010 will be €3,105, bringing the total grant amount to €6,355.
For students getting the adjacent rate of maintenance grant (€1,300) the top-up in 2010 will be €1,245, bringing the total grant amount to €2,545.

How to apply

You can download the student grant application form (pdf) and accompanying notes (pdf) from the studentfinance.ie website. The form is also available from your local authority. Further information and advice about the scheme are available from your local authority and from studentfinance.ie. 

You should send the completed application form to your local authority as soon as possible.

The closing date for applications is 31 August 2010 but students are being encouraged to apply early to facilitate early approval and issue of grants.

Where to apply