Another funding question...

seadnamac

I've been offered a place in a masters programme for next year and am looking to get a mature student grant.

I am 25 and can proof that I have been living away from home since September last year. However, most of this time was spent in Edinburgh and I came across a line somewhere that said I had to have been resident in the area of the council to which I am applying. Can anyone give me any confirmation on this?

seadnamac

Bump because it was the weekend.

CatFromHue

first off id check with your local council

i do think you have to be in this country for the year previous to getting the grant, again i'd check to be sure

vicecreamsundae

to get a grant, first of all you need to have been living in ireland for 3 of the last five years.
i also think that you need to be have been in ireland since october 2009 [if you're applying for a grant for this year], because you are supposed to apply to the council of whatever county you're been living in since october.
hope it goes well, i've been screwed out of it because i had to move back home due to unemployment. apparently, in their eyes, your parents now wanting you to be homeless = your parents willing to pay for your masters and support you throughout, even if you're over 25. pfft. [ha yes i am a little bitter!]

seadnamac

vicecreamsundae wrote: »

to get a grant, first of all you need to have been living in ireland for 3 of the last five years.
i also think that you need to be have been in ireland since october 2009 [if you're applying for a grant for this year], because you are supposed to apply to the council of whatever county you're been living in since october.
hope it goes well, i've been screwed out of it because i had to move back home due to unemployment. apparently, in their eyes, your parents now wanting you to be homeless = your parents willing to pay for your masters and support you throughout, even if you're over 25. pfft. [ha yes i am a little bitter!]

Yea also I just found out today that you have to be out of education for THREE years now to be considered a mature student, it used to be one but was changed in the last budget..So that means I can't go down the mature student route anyway. Bah.

And I'm same as you, over 25 and living at home due to unemployment. The social welfare consider me to be independent but the council do not when it comes to a grant. Where's the sense in that? Anyway turns out I'm going have to apply for the regular grant which I'm not too confident about. The whole thing has really rained on my parade!

vicecreamsundae

seadnamac wrote: »

Yea also I just found out today that you have to be out of education for THREE years now to be considered a mature student, it used to be one but was changed in the last budget..So that means I can't go down the mature student route anyway. Bah.

And I'm same as you, over 25 and living at home due to unemployment. The social welfare consider me to be independent but the council do not when it comes to a grant. Where's the sense in that? Anyway turns out I'm going have to apply for the regular grant which I'm not too confident about. The whole thing has really rained on my parade!

i didn't even realise there was a difference between a regular grant and a mature student grant? unless they use the same forms you're just classed differently? but yeah if they base it on my parents income, i know i won't get a thing, so it will be just have to be a big fat bank loan for me. [fingers crossed i can actually get one!]

seadnamac

vicecreamsundae wrote: »

i didn't even realise there was a difference between a regular grant and a mature student grant? unless they use the same forms you're just classed differently? but yeah if they base it on my parents income, i know i won't get a thing, so it will be just have to be a big fat bank loan for me. [fingers crossed i can actually get one!]

Yea it's exactly that. The only thing that might work in my favour is that my father retired in the last year, but he's got pretty good pension and he worked for most of '09 which is what they base it on, so I don't know if it will actually make that much of a difference. I never qualified for a grant before anyway when I was doing my undergrad.

vicecreamsundae

yeah, i never did when i was younger either and my dad doesnt retire til next year. pfft!