Back to college at 31! Self funding??

macaodh

Hi all,

One more year to go before I return back to uni. Trying my best to save as much as possible. I'll still look into any financial support which may be available but having already attained a degree in IT (grad 1995), I can see myself having to pay for everything (fees, accomodation rent, books etc) out of my own pocket. So I'm wondering has anybody managed to do this considering I will not have much savings (maybe 20K) for when I start and looking forward to working part-time in some menial job just to get by.

Has anybody been down this road? I'm thinking of approaching either my bank or the credit union for some sort of student loan if possible. The thought of returning to college as a mature student is daunting enough but the financials concerns are ever present...

Any tips, advice etc. appreciated.

Thanks.

cronndiesel

hi mc hugh;)
youll have a tough time with self finance route everything has speeded up something outrageous and theres now an awful lot of students not makeing the grade for the grant and going the route you are taking (bank mon with pt job) its up to you but unless you really have no other option then go for it but be prepared to run like fun for your mon

best of luck to ya :)

macaodh

...but be prepared to run like fun for your mon

Hey, I appreciate the feedback, however, I'm not sure what you mean. Maybe my mature status means I'm out of the loop!

Run like fun for my mon? A euphemism for "go busking on Grafton Street" or "go rob a bank and run like the wind"?

Why are (mature) students having a tough time making the grade (for a grant). My ignorance tells as I'm not sure which grants I'll be able to apply for but I guess that's another motivation for my original post - tips from people who have already been down this crash-barrier-free road...

jakfrost

I'm embarking down the self funding route this year.You're correct in your thinking though, it's unlikely you'll get a grant; the reason being you completed your degree. So it's a case of save,save,save.

Regarding how much you'll need it's hard to say. It depends on the college/course/length of study/standard of living you're used to.

For me I estimate it'll cost ~€17000 for every year of study.

macaodh

Only 17000. Great stuff :rolleyes: 4 year degree course. Can't wait to see the bank manager's face...images of banking advertisement come to mind, "ya see there's this set of dentures I've had my eye on for quite some time now..."

jakfrost

well you need to be sure it's what you want to do, and when you're dealing with serious sums of money, it tends to make you think that little bit harder;)

Just so you know the 17 grand is made up of 7 grand on fees and 10 grand living expenses (incl. rent) for the 8 months of the year I'll be in college.

Mena

jakfrost wrote: »

well you need to be sure it's what you want to do, and when you're dealing with serious sums of money, it tends to make you think that little bit harder;)

Just so you know the 17 grand is made up of 7 grand on fees and 10 grand living expenses (incl. rent) for the 8 months of the year I'll be in college.

Hmm, when I did a part time Bsc at Trinity (evenings) the fee was €4500.00 per year... was 3 or 4 years ago though.

jakfrost

I don't quite get your point Mena. It's just under €7000 for the full time course i'm persuing in Trinity.In any case the fees are readily available on the university website.