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Maintenance grant - Independent Mature Candidate?

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  • 16-08-2010 4:50pm
    #1
    joeKel73
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,689 ✭✭✭


    I am hoping to get a maintance grant for a masters course as an "independent mature candidate" but am getting conflicting reports as to whether or not I'm eligible.

    I've been living away from my parents (since Oct last year as required) and I'm over 23. My parents are not currently supporting me. I finished my undergraduate degree in May this year.

    On checking with the local county council they say I need to have finished my last course at least three years ago :confused:. I can't find any documented evidence of this requirement on studentfinances.ie or the department site.

    Has anyone else on here come across this or know anything about it? Thanks ;)

    EDIT: I did not receive a grant when doing my undergrad.


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    #2
    Annasopra
    Registered Users Posts: 41,022 ✭✭✭✭Annasopra


    foto joe wrote: »
    I am hoping to get a maintance grant for a masters course as an "independent mature candidate" but am getting conflicting reports as to whether or not I'm eligible.

    I've been living away from my parents (since Oct last year as required) and I'm over 23. My parents are not currently supporting me. I finished my undergraduate degree in May this year.

    On checking with the local county council they say I need to have finished my last course at least three years ago :confused:. I can't find any documented evidence of this requirement on studentfinances.ie or the department site.

    Has anyone else on here come across this or know anything about it? Thanks ;)

    EDIT: I did not receive a grant when doing my undergrad.

    Yes it has been discussed here

    basically the Dept changed the definitions of an independent mature candidate this year

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

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

    "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;

    "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

    It was so much easier to blame it on Them. It was bleakly depressing to think that They were Us. If it was Them, then nothing was anyone's fault. If it was us, what did that make Me? After all, I'm one of Us. I must be. I've certainly never thought of myself as one of Them. No one ever thinks of themselves as one of Them. We're always one of Us. It's Them that do the bad things.

    Terry Pratchet



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    #3
    joeKel73
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,689 ✭✭✭joeKel73


    Thanks, I've posted on that thread now. I still don't see it though, I'm not "re-entering", I'll be "entering" for the first time and that clause only appears to be for people "re-entering" a course.

    Anyway we can continue the discussion on that thread and mods can close this! ;)


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