There are no undergraduate fees in most Irish colleges but hundreds of
students each year miss out on increasingly valuable maintenance grants.
These grants leapt 10% in value this month, twice the rate of inflation, to
€3,420, for those on full maintenance.
Almost 40% of first-years receive some maintenance payment, but Union of
Students in Ireland (USI) president Richard Morrisroe says many more could
benefit if they applied.
Morrisroe says students contemplating third level in 2008 should start looking
into whether they are eligible for grants now. “This year, Leaving
Certificate students should go through the form and fill it out, just for
practice,” he says. “You can also start finding out what documentation
you’ll need and what you’re missing. The paperwork you’ll need for your
income will be for the previous tax year.”
To work out whether they are eligible, students must read the financial
support schemes section of the Department of Education’s website, www.education.ie
. This outlines the income-limit thresholds, eligibility criteria and grant
rates. It also lists courses and colleges that are approved under the scheme.
If the student is applying to a university, a teacher-training college or to
the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, they should apply for a grant
through their local authority.
Grants for other third-level courses are administered by local vocational
education committees (VECs). Income-threshold limits and grant rates are the
same for both.
For example, a student entering college this month will be able to get the
registration fee, generally about €825, paid and €3,420
maintenance if their parents earned less than €38,675 in the 2006 tax
year. The USI expects this limit to increase about 5% to €40,608 for
those entering in 2008. If there are four or more children in a family, the
threshold goes up.
Undergraduate courses at non-commercial colleges are free for all full-time,
first-time European Union citizens who have been resident in the EU for
three of the five years before entering college. Postgraduate courses are
not free, but those eligible for a full grant can get their fees paid up to
a cap of €6,110, as well as receive maintenance as above.
If the student’s parents earned between €38,675 and €48,335
in 2006, the candidate will be entitled to a sliding range of maintenance
support. This threshold may increase to €50,751 for entrants next
year. Students need to check when the latest thresholds are published in
July 2008.
Those applying for grants to study an undergraduate degree in another EU
country are eligible for maintenance, but not fees, using the same
thresholds.
Some courses in Northern Ireland qualify for zero fees. Postgraduates,
however, can apply for fees to be paid.
For students aged 23 or over who are not living with their parents, there are
different requirements. Morrisroe says: “Most of them are not earning over €35,000
before they go back to college, so they should be eligible.
“They need proof of residence, however, to show that they’re not living at
home. That’s the kind of thing that’s very hard to get after the fact, so
it’s something to keep in mind over the coming year.”
Morrisroe attributes the failure of those eligible to get grants to several
factors: “Some first-years think they won’t get into college so they don’t
bother. Others don’t apply on time — the closing date is August 31 — because
they’re not sure how their CAO (Central Applications Office) application is
going to go.
“Some are rejected because their forms are not filled in properly.
“Anecdotally, we hear that some were rejected because they didn’t include
information about their parents’ income: some were too scared to ask their
parents how much they earned. We have had cases where girls didn’t want to
ask their fathers what their income was.”
The Irish Vocational Education Association (IVEA) agrees with this assessment.
Sometimes the income of only one parent is submitted, or a P21 statement is
supplied without the P60 form for verification.
But with nine out of 10 applications accepted last year, the chances of
getting a grant are good.
An IVEA spokesman said: “The main reasons why a grant application would be
refused include the income exceeding threshold limits.
“Also, if the applicant already holds a qualification or has studied at
the same level previously, that can be a bar. It’s also important that the
course is covered under the scheme — for example, part-time courses aren’t
covered.”
Those who are concerned that they might not get into college are encouraged to
apply for a grant anyway. Once their place is confirmed, they can send on
the FA1 form that comes with the application set; this notifies the local
authority or VEC that the student will need the grant.
Mistakes or omissions when filling out the form can delay an application. If
they are not resolved, these can be a bar to getting the grant.
Some of the most common mistakes that the IVEA comes across are also some of
the simplest. Sometimes students don’t get their parents to sign the forms;
another mistake is the failure to write N/A on any sections that are not
relevant to the application.
After the excitement of getting accepted into a place at college, it is also
easy to forget the last crucial step — returning the FA1 form.
Guide to a successful application
Who is in charge? If attending university, teacher training or RCSI
(Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland), your local authority administers
grants. All other third-level grants go through your vocational education
committee. www.ivea.ie has a list of
vocational education committees (VECs) nationwide, or contact the
association on 01 496 6033.
Are you eligible? Find out from the scheme notebook, available from a
VEC/local authority office or on www.education.ie
, the Department of Education and Science’s website. It has details of
income limits, eligibility criteria and rates of grants.
What documentation is needed? All documents must be the originals. The
requirements are: long-form birth certificate; evidence of nationality (a
copy of your passport, certified by the Gardai, is sufficient); evidence of
exam results; P21; P60.
Key dates The forms are usually available mid-July. Call early in the
summer so that they can send them out to you as soon as they’re ready.
To be extra prepared, download a practice version from www.citizensinformation.ie
. The deadline for submission is August 31. Once you’ve received an offer,
you must follow up with an FA1 form notifying the grant administrators that
you got through.
Important links www.ivea.ie — the
umbrella body for VECs. The IVEA has contact details for your local
committee and advice on grants.
www.citizensinformation.ie —
follow the links to fees and support for third-level education. This goes
through the rules and criteria, as well as providing a sample form.
www.education.ie — follow links to
financial support schemes for frequently asked questions about funding
third-level education. In the students and trainees section you can also
download the scheme information pack, which sets out the eligibility
criteria.
