postgrad grant, is this possible?

moretothegirl

I have a query I hope someone can help me with. Basically I will be starting a postgrad in September 12 months and I will be just gone 24 starting the course. I have heard that you can now only get a grant for postgrad if your out of college 3 years, but I will only be out of college 2 years at that stage. I was told that this is for when your over 23 and being assessed on your own income.

My question since I will still be living at home and haven't moved out yet can I be assessed on my parents income like I was for my grant in my undergrad and will I be able to get my grant that way, or is there no hope of me getting my grant now?
This is a huge worry to me now...

Roy Rogers

Morning,

As far as I'm aware, you will be able to apply for the grant under your parents income.

I'm pretty certain that the 'out of college 3 years' condition only applies when you're applying as an independent mature student, which you're not.

Check out www.studentfinance.ie, they've a pretty foolproof checklist to see what grants your eligible for, etc.

moretothegirl

Thanks so much for your speedy reply, I've been looking at studentfinances.ie but I'm still a bit unsure as the only reference to this "3 year gap" that I can find on the site is this :
" re-entering an approved Honours Degree course* to complete it (for the first time) after a break of three years or more, having previously been a candidate dependent on parents or legal guardians, and having previously entered an approved course*"

The wording of this is confusing me, I have my undergrad and I am starting a new postgrad.

lolli

Op, you read my mind I came on here to ask the very same thing.

I am out of college two years also and have been accepted to a masters this year.

However, I have a baby so i'm not sure if its different.

I just rang the county council and I am now even more confused. First they told me because i'm 25 that I'd have to be assessed by myself and be out of college for three years but then she said oh you can try apply under your parents income. I tried to explain my situtation to her but she hadnt a clue. She kept going off to ask people.

moretothegirl

It seems to be a bit of a confusing situation.... I'm starting to panic because my situation at home isn't great and I know that I will certainly get the full grant, however, if I am supposed to be out of college for 3 years I'm in serious trouble...

lolli

Its very confusing alright

i'm just wondering because ive a child does that make me an independent candidate.

County Council dont seem to know the answers themselves

tp2811

Hi guys,

Just had a major panic after reading this thread with regards to the 3 year thingy. I called citizen information but the woman there didn't know anything about it. I then called Dublin City council who said that this only applies to people who aren't making a progression. So if you have a masters and want to do another masters you have to wait 3 years if you are independent mature student.

If you are independent mature student and you have a degree and want to do a masters, the 3 years shouldn't apply.

I do hope this is the case or I will be majorly disappointed!

Good Luck!

ballyrhy86

tp2811 wrote: »

Hi guys,

Just had a major panic after reading this thread with regards to the 3 year thingy. I called citizen information but the woman there didn't know anything about it. I then called Dublin City council who said that this only applies to people who aren't making a progression. So if you have a masters and want to do another masters you have to wait 3 years if you are independent mature student.

If you are independent mature student and you have a degree and want to do a masters, the 3 years shouldn't apply.

I do hope this is the case or I will be majorly disappointed!

Good Luck!

I rang Galway County Council yesterday and they told me that whichever way you were assessed for your undergrad (ie if you got a grant because of your parents' income or you were an independent mature student or a dependent mature student) then you will be assessed in the same way for your postgrad unless three years have expired. Only after the 3 years can you be assessed as a different type of candidate.

Basically if you are re-entering college in any form, you have to be 3 years out of college in order to change candidate status. Does that make sense?

So if you were an independent mature student then your fine, anything else then you have to wait 3 years before you can change status, regardless of other circumstances.

Disclaimer: I may be completely wrong, it's all very confusing.

moretothegirl

Panic over so! thanks everybody SOOOO much for all ur info and help

Barlett

ballyrhy86 wrote: »

I rang Galway County Council yesterday and they told me that whichever way you were assessed for your undergrad (ie if you got a grant because of your parents' income or you were an independent mature student or a dependent mature student) then you will be assessed in the same way for your postgrad unless three years have expired. Only after the 3 years can you be assessed as a different type of candidate.

Basically if you are re-entering college in any form, you have to be 3 years out of college in order to change candidate status. Does that make sense?

So if you were an independent mature student then your fine, anything else then you have to wait 3 years before you can change status, regardless of other circumstances.

Disclaimer: I may be completely wrong, it's all very confusing.

So would this mean that you would apply as a student dependant on parents if you received the grant as an undergrad that way? Even if you are over 23? Or would you apply as a mature student dependent on parents?

It's annoying that even the County Councils aren't sure, I was told by one in mine that I just apply as a mature student dependent on parents while another said you had to be out of college 3 years before you could apply for the grant for a masters.

moretothegirl

Barlett wrote: »

So would this mean that you would apply as a student dependant on parents if you received the grant as an undergrad that way? Even if you are over 23? Or would you apply as a mature student dependent on parents?

It's annoying that even the County Councils aren't sure, I was told by one in mine that I just apply as a mature student dependent on parents while another said you had to be out of college 3 years before you could apply for the grant for a masters.

It really is so annoying not being able to get a proper answer from county councils. Its like nobody really knows whats going on.

ballyrhy86

Barlett wrote: »

So would this mean that you would apply as a student dependant on parents if you received the grant as an undergrad that way? Even if you are over 23? Or would you apply as a mature student dependent on parents?

It's annoying that even the County Councils aren't sure, I was told by one in mine that I just apply as a mature student dependent on parents while another said you had to be out of college 3 years before you could apply for the grant for a masters.

The way I understood what I was told is in this way:

Whatever type of candidate you were for your undergrad then you will be assessed as the same type of candidate for your postgrad, irrespective of whether you are now over 23 or not, unless 3 years have passed since your undergrad.

So in your case you would apply as a normal student, same as when you did your undergrad, despite the fact you're now a mature student.

Strictly

When I did my Undergraduate course, I did not have a Grant my parents were over the limit. I am now 24 and I want to do a Post Grad but, I will not get a Grant as an Independent Mature Student as I only finished in College in May 2008. If I waited until Sept, 2011 (next year) I would get a Grant as an Independent Mature Student. They changed the time limit from one year to three years this year, so I am stuck

ballyrhy86

Strictly wrote: »

When I did my Undergraduate course, I did not have a Grant my parents were over the limit. I am now 24 and I want to do a Post Grad but, I will not get a Grant as an Independent Mature Student as I only finished in College in May 2008. If I waited until Sept, 2011 (next year) I would get a Grant as an Independent Mature Student. They changed the time limit from one year to three years this year, so I am stuck

It may be worth ringing the council and making sure, since you never got a grant in the first place. As far as I can make out the 3 year rule applies only if you want to change your grant status for your postgrad, but you never had a grant status in the first place. That might be a loophole that could help you out!

Strictly

Unfortunately I don't think you are correct, if Ihad a grant for undergraduate I would get it again no problem, but as I did not have a grant before, I must be 3 years left college. Thats my reading of it and I got a letter from Dublin City Council last week telling me. Up to that point I thought I only had to be one year left college.

ballyrhy86

Strictly wrote: »

Unfortunately I don't think you are correct, if Ihad a grant for undergraduate I would get it again no problem, but as I did not have a grant before, I must be 3 years left college. Thats my reading of it and I got a letter from Dublin City Council last week telling me. Up to that point I thought I only had to be one year left college.

Yeah maybe so, it's a confusing rule ain't it! I used to get a grant when I done my undergrad, but my parents income went up since I got it back in 2004 so I can't it that way now. I thought it wouldn't matter this year as I'd be an independent mature candidate going back but the three year rule messed that up!

They told me I couldn't change the type if candidate I was, but I thought maybe as a new applicant you might be able get around that. Turns out no, sorry to hear it.

Annasopra

Strictly wrote: »

Unfortunately I don't think you are correct, if Ihad a grant for undergraduate I would get it again no problem, but as I did not have a grant before, I must be 3 years left college. Thats my reading of it and I got a letter from Dublin City Council last week telling me. Up to that point I thought I only had to be one year left college.

Yes I think this is correct - I'd suggest everyone in this situation contact their local TDs, USI and also Ruairi Quinn and Fergus O Dowd who are education spokespersons

Annasopra

FYI

http://www.education.ie/servlet/blobservlet/he_heg_scheme.pdf?language=EN

"mature candidate" means a candidate who is at least 23 years of age on the 1st of January of the year of entry or re-entry to an approved course;

"independent mature candidate" means a mature candidate who was not ordinarily resident with his/her parents or legal guardian from 1 October, 2009;

"re-entering" means entering as a mature candidate following a break of at least three years, having previously been a candidate dependent on parents or legal guardian, and having previously attended a course approved for the purposes of the Higher Education Grants [HEG] Scheme or the Vocational Education Committees [VEC] Scholarship Scheme