Did all matures lose their non-adjacent? Did some retain it??

CharlotteVale

I was just wondering if all current mature students lost their entitlement to the non-adjacent rate? I did and am worried sick how I'm going to manage, but in the councils wording it says that matures were no longer 'automatically' entitled and I would be interested if anyone's remained untouched.

Opinicus

Yeah they're the new guidelines. Matures now have to be over the limit also. I'm sickened because this is the first year I qualify for a grant but I'm under 45 kms.

ripo

CharlotteVale wrote: »

I was just wondering if all current mature students lost their entitlement to the non-adjacent rate? I did and am worried sick how I'm going to manage, but in the councils wording it says that matures were no longer 'automatically' entitled and I would be interested if anyone's remained untouched.

hey can i ask you a cpl questions, i'm curious


what college do you study in
is your academic address under 45km (where u live while at college)

is your permanent address over 45kl (parents)
what address do VEC contact you on, e.g. academic or parents?

I just want to see how they mark peopl

Tree

It's based on your parents address. That determines whether you'll have far you'd have to travel or whether you'd have to move. Eg. I live 3km from college in dublijn, but my mother lives in cork and therefore my homeaddress wouldnt have been suitable for commuting from.

ripo

Tree wrote: »

It's based on your parents address. That determines whether you'll have far you'd have to travel or whether you'd have to move. Eg. I live 3km from college in dublijn, but my mother lives in cork and therefore my homeaddress wouldnt have been suitable for commuting from.

@ tree,

thanks for your very important contribution, this is a question raised all over the web... and i'm very interested in your situation.


so to summarise your situation... Your a mature student, you study in dublin (live there during academic term) but your permanent address is Cork, where you registered with the VEC for communication.


So, your saying you receive the full non- adjacent grant because of the distance from cork to dublin, even though you are living in dublin.

Thats very interesting, I ;m guessing they mark the form , that you have to relocate, or travel, hence the need for the extra grant to cover some of the costs.

Am i right, i'm trying to attempt to figure the whole thing out over many boards! thx

littlefriend

Ripo - if you are a dependent on your parents then it is their address that will be used. If their address is further than 45km from college it is considered too far and/or too expensive to be reasonably expected to travel to and from each day - the non adjacent rate then applies - presumably so that you can rent somewhere closer to the college (or if you do have to commute then you will need extra money to pay for the cost of doing so).
If you are dependent and your parents address is less than 45km then you will get the adjacent rate.

If you are an independent student then your own address is used to calculate what you qualify for. For example, I am an independent student living 28km from the college. I am going into third year. When I applied for the grant originally I had to submit proof of address. I had to show that I had lived over 24km from the college the year before I was to start - ie in my case I started 1st year in Sept 2009 so had to submit proof of address from Sept (or maybe Oct) 2008. As I applied as an independent student it makes no difference whatsoever where my parents live as they are not part of my application.

Maybe it might help you to consider what council you applied to? If you applied to Cork then presumably you were living in Cork at the time and you only moved to Dublin (or wherever) to attend college. In that case you will get the non adjacent rate.

ripo

littlefriend wrote: »

Ripo - if you are a dependent on your parents then it is their address that will be used. If their address is further than 45km from college it is considered too far and/or too expensive to be reasonably expected to travel to and from each day - the non adjacent rate then applies - presumably so that you can rent somewhere closer to the college (or if you do have to commute then you will need extra money to pay for the cost of doing so).
If you are dependent and your parents address is less than 45km then you will get the adjacent rate.

If you are an independent student then your own address is used to calculate what you qualify for. For example, I am an independent student living 28km from the college. I am going into third year. When I applied for the grant originally I had to submit proof of address. I had to show that I had lived over 24km from the college the year before I was to start - ie in my case I started 1st year in Sept 2009 so had to submit proof of address from Sept (or maybe Oct) 2008. As I applied as an independent student it makes no difference whatsoever where my parents live as they are not part of my application.

Maybe it might help you to consider what council you applied to? If you applied to Cork then presumably you were living in Cork at the time and you only moved to Dublin (or wherever) to attend college. In that case you will get the non adjacent rate.

Hi littlefriend,


thanks for your reply. you have explained it very well, but i'm a little unsure .

my details
independent mature student
non-adjutant grant (last 2 academic years)
Academic address, 4 k from college
permanent address, 240 k from college



This is the situation i am in.

I am a independent student living in Sligo, this is my permanent address as my two kids live with me during the summer. And... Sligo is more affordable for me to live than Dublin.

I study in Dublin, and find a room to rent for the academic term each year. But return to Sligo.


in previous years the VEC has recognised that i have been living in Dublin based on the old grant system (from October) but all the correspondence and permanent address is my other address in Sligo, where I stay with the kids in the summer.


Will they judge me on my academic address, since October. Or will they calculate it from my main address in Sligo (Independent Student) The address in Sligo is not my parents house, I rent the house as is quite cheap. this is important for access to my children. (court states that i need own place for overnight for children) Irish family law is another problem which i could discuss for decades!!!


I'm afraid if they access me from the Dublin address, and I lose the financial assistance I probably be unable to continue college, as my children are much more important. But where i am granted support based upon my Dublin academic address, the only way I could complete college is move somewhere cheaper (cheaper than Dublin) I was thinking of Longford (more than 45k) and perhaps contact the vec about the changes to address, this is something i will have to do if i want to complete college


Thanks

littlefriend

Ripo - do you mind asking me who you applied for the grant to - Sligo or Dublin? Presumably it is Sligo in which case then your address would be considered non adjacent so will keep the rate you were on last year (less the 4% or so reduction).

ripo

littlefriend wrote: »

Ripo - do you mind asking me who you applied for the grant to - Sligo or Dublin? Presumably it is Sligo in which case then your address would be considered non adjacent so will keep the rate you were on last year (less the 4% or so reduction).

Hi littlewoods,

I originally applied in Sligo, but they told me to apply in Dublin instead which I did in 2008. Dublin is the answer

littlefriend

ripo wrote: »

Hi littlewoods,

I originally applied in Sligo, but they told me to apply in Dublin instead which I did in 2008. Dublin is the answer

Ripo, I'm sorry but I don't know what the answer is to your question then. Logic tells me that you should get non adjacent but I'm not sure how much logic is applied to these cases.

Good luck anyway. My grant has definitely been cut by over €4000 and I'm expecting a baby in December. Disastrous times.

Annasopra

Hi Ripo

I would suggest contacting the student support unit in the Department of Education about that

The Student Support Unit
Department of Education and Science
Portlaoise Road
Tullamore
County Offaly

057 9324381

Email:
StudentSupportUnit-Tullamore@education.gov.ie

ripo

littlefriend wrote: »

Ripo, I'm sorry but I don't know what the answer is to your question then. Logic tells me that you should get non adjacent but I'm not sure how much logic is applied to these cases.

Good luck anyway. My grant has definitely been cut by over €4000 and I'm expecting a baby in December. Disastrous times.

I'm really sorry to hear that littlefriend, is so frustrating when there is very little we can do. I have visited my local TD's, emailed the minister for education... and still they we get picked upside down by the government and shaken untill no more money falls out!

ripo

mango salsa wrote: »

Hi Ripo

I would suggest contacting the student support unit in the Department of Education about that

The Student Support Unit
Department of Education and Science
Portlaoise Road
Tullamore
County Offaly

057 9324381

Email:
StudentSupportUnit-Tullamore@education.gov.ie

thanks Mango, i'll do that first thing tomorrow morning, thanks again for all your help.

ripo

Thanks Mango, and little friend. I called them, and they told me to call grant office.

I did that first thing in the morning. I was rewarded the full non adjacent grant because they realise I had to move closer to college as the distance from Sligo was too far.

the grant is cut for students who actually reside in Dublin during, and outside academic terms, therefore they state the extra grant is for accommodation and travel cost, whichever the student decided to do.


I still am very much against the govt decisions, and what they did to students. this is an outrage. I wish everyone the best of luck with your grant and future studies, if you can afford to stay in college. I know this year its going to be very hard for many students!