How much is the HEG maintenance grant?

Jennygro

Im trying to decide whether I can afford to accept a place on a phd program in NUIG this september.
I am a mature independent candidate, so should have my fees paid and receive the non-adjacent rate of maintenance.
How are you supposed to know how much maintenance you will receive? the woman in the council couldn't tell me, and it's not clear from any of the forms online.
In the tax year 2009 I had a minimum wage job and since october 2009 I have been on casual jobseekers allowance.
It's hard to make a decision when the only information you have is that your maintenance grant will be somewhere between €810 and €3250.
Any personal experience or advice would be greatly appreciated, im tearing my hair out here!
Cheers!

Annasopra

You can work it out by having a look at www.studentfinance.ie

brownacid

Sorry to disappoint jenny but as far as I know, maintenace grants are not available for phds, theyre only available for masters and undergrads i think. Besides shuld the phd not be offering funding for you?

Jennygro

Cheers,
no they shouldn't be providing funding, they provide funding for a number of students but not all phd students.
Are you sure that maintenance grants are not available for phd students? I've read all the material (not to say i have understood it all!) and there is no mention of a discrimination between masters level and phd level for maintenance.....

brownacid

Postgraduate Qualifications
Full-time postgraduate courses of a minimum duration of one year are approved for the grant.

If the grant for your undergraduate education came from the VEC, then your scheme is the Vocational Education Committee Scholarship Scheme and the grant application form is available from your local VEC.

If the grant for your undergraduate education came from the local authority, then your scheme is the Higher Education Grants Scheme and the grant application form is available from your local authority.
Note: A grant for postgraduate study is available for a maximum of four years (not including repeat years).

I stand corrected, sorry about that. Ive been looking through abuot funding for a post grad myself for next year and must have skipped over the part above.

Regarding the funds available, assuming that you are a maature independent canditate who is unmarried and has no dependent children you may receive the full 100% NA rate for an income in 2009 less than €41,110, if your income is below €22,723 you're eligble for the special top rate of €6,355. All the income bands and the amount you will be awarded are available here http://www.studentfinance.ie/index.php3?area=products&CategoryID=9400&living=1&dependents=&studying=&parents=0

Hope that helps.

Jennygro

phew! thanks for that.

I popped into the council today to clarify a few things
There is a clause (7.7) for people starting a postgraduate course if they have already done a postgrad if it shows progression (in my case I did a H-dip and now am doing a phd). What it doesnt say in the documentation is that there must be a break of five academic years since you finished the first postgrad.

Also, regarding the special top rate of maintenance (€6,355), you have to have been receiving some form of social welfare payment in 2009.

Hope that is helpful to somebody else.

El_Drago

Jennygro wrote: »

phew! thanks for that.

I popped into the council today to clarify a few things
There is a clause (7.7) for people starting a postgraduate course if they have already done a postgrad if it shows progression (in my case I did a H-dip and now am doing a phd). What it doesnt say in the documentation is that there must be a break of five academic years since you finished the first postgrad.

Also, regarding the special top rate of maintenance (€6,355), you have to have been receiving some form of social welfare payment in 2009.

Hope that is helpful to somebody else.

So in order to receive the special top up rate,your parents must have been receiving some form of social welfare payment in 2009?Is that something which was only brought in this year?If so, it's a joke. I've reapplied for the grant this year for my master's in NUIG and if that's the case,I'll be contacting the grant authority about it. I received the full grant with the special top up rate last year despite neither parent receiving social welfare and the combined family income being fairly low.

Jennygro

no, that is only for mature independent candidates who automatically receive the non-adjacent rate. I wouldnt imagine that the special rate is available for dependent candidates, but i could be wrong.