Going back to College? Check here for Mature/Disabled/Access/Grant & Fees information

If there's anything not covered here, please start a new thread. Cheers.

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What is a Mature Student?

A mature student is a student who, generally, is 23 or over on the 1st of January in the year they first start their course.

How does one become a Mature Student?

You do this by applying! The way of applying for courses depend on the college. Some require you to go through the CAO as well as applying to them directly; others may allow you to simply apply directly, or if the course if AQA (all qualified applicants) they may allow you to start given a few weeks notice. This obviously varies greatly depending on the institution.

Are there deadlines to be adhered to?

This again depends on where you are going to college. If you are applying through the CAO for a course, the deadline is the 1st of February of the year you will be seeking to enter the course. You can apply to the CAO from the November before.

Is there an inverview?

There more than likely will be. For this, you will require to demonstrate why you wish to do a specific course, and it is best to highlight how you've been interested in it before, as well as any research you have done in the field, or related fields. The thing to remember is that you are selling yourself, so you have to show your enthusiasm.

Am I too old? Will I fit in? Will I be bullied?

No, yes, and no . We all learn new things every day, so going back to college is not something just for those fresh out of school. As for fitting in, in the larger colleges there are Mature Student Societies as well as nights out, which means you will meet other students. But even in your class you'll find that there will be other mature students, as well as ample opportunity to meet other members of your class (nights out, assignment groups, lab groups, presentation groups etc.).

How expensive is it?

If you have never been to college before, you should be able to avail of the 'free fees' initiative, which means that you will not pay course fees. However, there is a registration fee of €825 to be paid. If you dropped out, you may still avail of the 'free fees' scheme - for further clarity on this, contact the Dept. of Education directly, or else the Student Support Unit who are organised by the Dept. of Education.

Is there any form of financial assistance I can avail of?

You should enquire as to whether or not you will be able to avail of a maintenance grant - the minimum for mature students is between €855 and €3,420, depending on your circumstances. Check out MyGrant.ie, [url=http://studentfinance.ie[/url]StudentFinance.ie[/url] as well as CitizensInformation.ie. Maintenance grants are, at present, only payable for full-time courses. If you are eligible for a grant, the registration fee mentioned above is paid for you by your County Council/VEC.

If you are pursuing a part-time course, you may be able to avail of tax relief on fees. Information is available on CitizensInformation.ie as well as in a PDF document on Revenue.ie.

If you run into financial trouble during the year, contact your Students' Union, tutor, or student services department for information on the Student Assistance Fund. This is a confidential fund which you can avail of which is meant to help those who are struggling with the finances of being in college. It isn't bottomless, but it may help you out in times of trouble.

No, I meant the cost of actually going to college!

Ah, I see. This varies greatly according to where you are in the country. A PDF document on the Irish Council for International Students puts it at between €10,500 and €12,500. Obviously this will be hdepend on whether you are living near to the college, whether you bring your own food in for lunch etc. etc. But college can be expensive. It's worth checking out your entitlements prior to getting there.

How will I adjust to college life?

The larger colleges often run a mature student orientation course which would give students a feel for what the next few years would be like. It's also worth remembering that all students entering college think this at one moment or another . But if you are concerned about a specific part of college life, feel free to start a new thread on it.

Is there any college-specific information you can give me?

Indeed there is. Below are various colleges and specific webpages that are aimed at Mature Students. If the college you are looking to go to is not mentioned there, a quick google should throw up the solution. If not, ring the college yourself to make further enquiries.

Athlone IT: http://www.ait.ie/admissions/mature.shtml
Cork IT: http://www.cit.ie/index.cfm/action/page/aID/200/level/page/pageid/518/Content_Key/927/type/Page/PaGeName/Non-Standard_Applicants.html
DIT: http://www.dit.ie/DIT/study/maturestudents/
Dundalk IT: http://ww2.dkit.ie/student_life/admissions/1st_year_admissions/non_standard_applicants/mature_applicants__1
IT Blanchardstown: http://www.itb.ie/site/studentservices/access.htm#mat
IT Sligo: http://www.itsligo.ie/current_students/maturestudents.html
IT Tallaght: http://www.ittdublin.ie/prospective/full-time/applyingforaplaceatittdublin/maturenonstandardapplicants/
IT Tralee: http://www.ittralee.ie/ProspectiveStudents/MatureStudents/
Letterkenny IT: http://www.lyit.ie/admissions/admin/mature.html
NCAD: http://www.ncad.ie/admissions/maturestudents.shtml
Tipperary Institute: http://www.tippinst.ie/study/admissions/mature_students.htm
Waterford IT: http://www2.wit.ie/real/

Dublin City University: http://www.dcu.ie/students/access/mature.shtml
NUI, Galway: http://www.nuigalway.ie/mature_students/mature_students_officer.html
NUI, Maynooth: http://maturestudents.nuim.ie/
Trinity College, Dublin: http://www.tcd.ie/Senior_Lecturer/ao/aomso.php
University College, Cork: http://www.ucc.ie/en/SupportandAdministration/ServiceandAdministrativeOffices/RegistrarandVice-PresidentforAcademicAffairs/RegistrarsOffices/MatureStudentOffice/
University College, Dublin: http://www.ucd.ie/access/mature.htm
University of Limerick: http://www.ul.ie/mso/index.html

What if I left school early, and never received a Leaving Certificate?

You may be able to enter college through an access programme, or by applying as a mature student as mentioned above. Several colleges offer these access programmes to help students get into third level education. This may include an extra year of college before you enter the course you would like. For more information, click on the access programme links below.

DIT: http://www.dit.ie/DIT/communitylinks/leap/index.html
Dundalk IT: http://ww2.dkit.ie/student_life/access_office
GMIT: http://www.gmit.ie/lifelong-learning/access-programme.html
IADT: http://www.iadt.ie/en/ProspectiveStudents/HowtoApply/AccessOffice/
IT Blanchardstown: http://www.itb.ie/site/studentservices/access.htm#reach
IT Carlow: http://www.itcarlow.ie/curr_access_initiative.asp?top_section=1&lower_section=2&lower2_section=6&sel_sect=21&uid=itcarlow
IT Sligo: http://www.itsligo.ie/current_students/communities.html
Letterkenny IT: http://www.lyit.ie/student/access/access_index.htm
Limerick IT: http://www.lit.ie/student/studentinfo.html
Tipperary Institute: http://www.tippinst.ie/cs/support/access_office.htm

DCU: http://www.dcu.ie/students/access/index.shtml
NUI Galway: http://www.nuigalway.ie/access/
NUI Maynooth: http://access.nuim.ie/
Trinity College, Dublin: http://www.tcd.ie/Trinity_Access/index.php
UCC: http://www.ucc.ie/access/
UCD: http://www.ucd.ie/newera/
UL: http://www.ul.ie/mso/access.html

Queens University, Belfast: http://www.qub.ac.uk/cm/guidance/guidance_10.htm
University of Ulster; http://prospectus.ulster.ac.uk/geninfo/ Note: follow the link to the relevant campus, Belfast, Coleraine, Derry (Magee) or Jordanstown.

Are there other websites giving information for mature students?

There are some, given below.

Citizensinformation.ie: http://citizensinformation.ie/categories/education/third-level-education/applying-to-college/third_level_courses_for_mature_students/
Qualifax.ie (hasn't been updated in several years): http://www.qualifax.ie/mature_entry/mature_students.html

Thanks, but I have more questions.

Feel free to start a new thread in this forum, and I'm sure some helpful poster will answer it for you

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For who?

Some areas/schools in Ireland do not have a large proportion of their population heading for third level education. As a result, certain schemes or access programmes encourage individuals from these areas to go to college, as well as accommodating persons from age groups (i.e. over 23s) or those who have a disability.

Will I require a Leaving Cert?

No, not always. Some of the schemes require a pre-college year to be taken up which you must complete before being allowed to start the actual course. There are schemes aimed at young school leavers, mature students, and all groups who are under-represented at all stages in education.

Can I get into Higher Education this way?

Yes, there are routes to all areas of education. One of them is called HEAR (Higher Education Access Route), and there is information on this here.

What about funding?

Some of the access programmes come with the additional support of a childcare scheme, as well as the chance of an accommodation scheme. Of course, you should see if you would be entitled to a maintenance grant, or other funds available from your local authority. See the first post for more information about grants/fees.

Where can I find out more information?

Most of the larger colleges have details about their access programmes online, but you could enquire with each college individually should the webpages give insufficient details. Also check out the other pages for information on Mature Students as well as Disabled Students if you have a disability.

DIT: http://www.dit.ie/DIT/communitylinks/leap/index.html
Dundalk IT: http://ww2.dkit.ie/student_life/access_office
GMIT: http://www.gmit.ie/lifelong-learning/access-programme.html
IADT: http://www.iadt.ie/en/ProspectiveStudents/HowtoApply/AccessOffice/
IT Blanchardstown: http://www.itb.ie/site/studentservices/access.htm#reach
IT Carlow: http://www.itcarlow.ie/curr_access_initiative.asp?top_section=1&lower_section=2&lower2_section=6&sel_sect=21&uid=itcarlow
IT Sligo: http://www.itsligo.ie/current_students/communities.html
Letterkenny IT: http://www.lyit.ie/student/access/access_index.htm
Limerick IT: http://www.lit.ie/student/studentinfo.html
Tipperary Institute: http://www.tippinst.ie/cs/support/access_office.htm

DCU: http://www.dcu.ie/students/access/index.shtml
NUI Galway: http://www.nuigalway.ie/access/
NUI Maynooth: http://access.nuim.ie/
Trinity College, Dublin: http://www.tcd.ie/Trinity_Access/index.php
UCC: http://www.ucc.ie/access/
UCD: http://www.ucd.ie/newera/
UL: http://www.ul.ie/mso/access.html

Queens University, Belfast: http://www.qub.ac.uk/cm/guidance/guidance_10.htm
University of Ulster; http://prospectus.ulster.ac.uk/geninfo/ Note: follow the link to the relevant campus, Belfast, Coleraine, Derry (Magee) or Jordanstown.

There's something that hasn't been covered...

Feel free to start a thread!