Budgeting: Grant installment dates + amounts

Cov

Hi folks,

I am doing up a budget for college at the moment, and I am having trouble finding certain information.

I have been granted the Full Non-Adjacent maintenance grant, which I understand as I am doing an Honors Degree will be paid in three installments.

The letter says I have been awarded :
Full maintenence non-adjacent rate - 3,250
plus appropriate fees (not exceeding 6,270)

What dates (usually) arethe grant installments paid out on? Am i correct in saying each installment will be 3,250/3 = 1083 EU?

Thanks,

Cov

- bo -

It'll be 3 installments of about that amount alright, I got it last year and will be again this year.

However don't expect them on time, there are numerous threads/posts on boards from people complaining about delayed installments. It depends on how reliable/efficient your County Council/VEC is with them.
Mine is Meath and my cheques were delayed by a month or 2 each time.
Your college should notify you when they've received the cheques from the Council/VEC and tell you it's ready for collection, then you just go to the grants office with your Student ID and sign for it.

musical.x

how long ago did you apply for the grant before you were told yours had been accepted?

Cov

Thanks for the heads up -bo-.

how long ago did you apply for the grant before you were told yours had been accepted?

I started the process quite early, sent in my application with all extra docs needed to Carlow VEC about a month and a half ago, got the approval letter about two and a half weeks ago. They were pretty efficient, so I am hoping my cheques are not delayed too much.

Boo13

I was wondering too what dates the cheques are issued?? I brought my application and all the documents to my local grant office in person and i got a letter the next day saying I had qualified!!! Only did it the 2nd week of july! Hopefully they'll be as quick issuing the cheques then!

Pigwidgeon

They're meant to be Septemeber, January and April I think, but it's usually Novemeber/February/May. Sometimes worse delays. I heard of several people who only got approval after they had finished college for the year, so it's really variable on the county council.

- bo -

True, a few days ago my mate collected over 3 grand of a grant he was supposed to get last year, and he'll be getting another one this coming year...

Einstein?

Cov wrote: »

What dates (usually) arethe grant installments paid out on? Am i correct in saying each installment will be 3,250/3 = 1083 EU?

Thanks,

Cov

Firstly, this figure doesn't seem right to me. This past academic year we only got about 850 squid in each installment.

Besides that, it really depends on your local county council. I'm in the Dublin City Council (DCC) and they send it straight into your bank debit account. Other county councils like to send cheques, don't ask me why - but they do. The first installment will arrive sometime in around mid october. The second will arrive depending on the release of your exam results in college (to check if you are still in college and didn't drop out). It should come sometime in January. Finally the lastone is quite fixed and comes around early April.

These are the exact dates of when I got mine:
Payment Date:21-OCT-2009 @ 894 squid.
Payment Date:10-FEB-2010 @ 849 squid.
Payment Date:07-APR-2010 @ 848 squid.

I really don't know why the amount has gone up this year.

Pigwidgeon

I got 1083 for each instalment last year, for the second two anyway. Got more for the first before the budget brought it down.

Beryl Walsh

I am starting college in Sept and don't have a clue what to do about student grants etc. I went to the Citizens Advice and the Social Welfare and neither were very helpful. Can someone set me in the right direction? I got the application for both the Grant and the Back to Education Allowance, which is better? I really don't have a clue and time is running out.

Pigwidgeon

I'd say the BTEA is probably better. As far as I know it's more regular, you get more money, it's more reliable and you get your registration fees paid, I'm open to correction on any of this though.

Einstein?

Beryl Walsh wrote: »

I am starting college in Sept and don't have a clue what to do about student grants etc. I went to the Citizens Advice and the Social Welfare and neither were very helpful. Can someone set me in the right direction? I got the application for both the Grant and the Back to Education Allowance, which is better? I really don't have a clue and time is running out.

Go to your local county council, 3rd level education finance office.

Annasopra

Beryl Walsh wrote: »

I am starting college in Sept and don't have a clue what to do about student grants etc. I went to the Citizens Advice and the Social Welfare and neither were very helpful. Can someone set me in the right direction? I got the application for both the Grant and the Back to Education Allowance, which is better? I really don't have a clue and time is running out.

The Back to Education Allowance is ONLY if you have been receiving a social welfare payment such as jobseekers benefit or jobseekers allowance and only if you are over 21

Annasopra

Cov wrote: »

What dates (usually) are the grant installments paid out on?

It depends on the grant authority (county council or VEC) - some are really efficient and you might get it in September, January and March - some are really inefficient and you might get it in January, April and June

daragh_c

I got the scholarship grant approved for me last August. I am not sure when I will get my first installment thou. I can tell you the DLVEC are very good. I got total E6300 odd euro, plus all fees paid. Works out about E706 per month, but i'll get it in 3 installments.

The best way is to get proper e-mails , not the help@ or support@ , get a real name, it's the only way to get all the required info that makes sense, rather than bundles of meaningless paper work