GRANTS - ANYBODY GOT THEIRS?

KatieLacey_

Just wondering if anyone in Ireland really, has gotten their grant yet?
And If you did when did you apply for it?

Conas

I haven't heard much about mine. I applied in mid June, and only got contacted back the start of September :rolleyes: SUSI are worse than the VEC, and to be honest it's still a farce how the grants system works. It's painfully slow, and I wouldn't mind but because their so slow, I'm worried I'll run out of what little money I have, and could end up having to leave college.

Howlin1

Conas wrote: »

I haven't heard much about mine. I applied in mid June, and only got contacted back the start of September :rolleyes: SUSI are worse than the VEC, and to be honest it's still a farce how the grants system works. It's painfully slow, and I wouldn't mind but because their so slow, I'm worried I'll run out of what little money I have, and could end up having to leave college.

I got a list of stuff to send them and I did on the 25th of July and last week when I rang them, they said it still hasn't been received, so it has taken over a month to go though the sorting office...

KatieLacey_

Well I just hope we get them soon. #need it

Howlin1

I rang them today about my grant and I was told I wouldn't get anything until the last week of September.

Toothpaste89

I thought the first installment was the 24th of October. It's a joke I never received anything they said they sent out. I'm hounding them it's the only way

Howlin1

When I say that I meant it'll be then before I hear anything on if I will get a grant and how much. I use to come in the 2nd saturday of the month.

Conas

Also when I rang them at the start of September they said they had sent me out stuff on the 15th of August which I didn't receive :rolleyes: So they lied about sending it in the first place, but said they'd resend it again. Had it in 3 days. I had to send them in a list of stuff.

In the days of such amazing computers and technology, they can bring up alot of details about you with your PPS number. All this paperwork is so backwards like something from the 1980s.

KatieLacey_

Howlin1 wrote: »

I rang them today about my grant and I was told I wouldn't get anything until the last week of September.

When did you send your stuff back to them?

Howlin1

KatieLacey_ wrote: »

When did you send your stuff back to them?

25th of July and they start processing it the end of last week/yesterday.

morgans303

SUSI are giving me serious problems. They've made me redo my application and send it back twice. Their email address doesn't seem to work. Sometimes they don't seem to know what's going on within their organisation. Just hold your breath.

Old Perry

Also ive heard of and know a few people who have received conformation from the vec/council that they will be receiving their grant. Would they vec/council have been so quick last year without susi?

zzdp

got this email from them yesterday and I presume they will want the from from everyone so if you want to be ahead of the game download it and get it stamped from your college.-


Your application is at the provisionally awarded stage. To complete your application you will need to submit a Final Course Acceptance Form. Please log onto www.cdvec.ie/student-Supports/grants.aspx and download the Final Course Acceptance Form. Return the completed form to Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) PO Box 12210, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, as soon as possible.

Thank you

SUSI Support Team

AlexDublin

SUSI is a joke. It is way too late in the year to be finding out whether or not we are approved for a maintenance grant/ student contribution. People are moving house, preparing for college, buying books and supplies at this stage and we still dont even know if we will be able to afford college.

I really think that this system has let this years students down in a massive way. This is not a good way to start your college experience. Unsure and stressed about money/eligibility. NOT COOL SUSI! This whole assessment needs to happen way earlier in the year in 2013. Why push it to the wire? Is this really necessary?

I am due to start college in two weeks. I still dont know if I will actually be able to continue on my course for the entire year due to SUSIs incompetence/ disorganisation. I understand that this is the first year that they have amalgamated all the VECs but seriously this is ridiculous. I am a student who has been approved for back to education allowance nad I may end up not studying this year because I havent heard from SUSI in time. Because of SUSI I may end up on jobseekers allowance for this coming year. If I had heard from SUSI in time, instead I could have accessed a course at PLC level or gone onto springboard/fas training. What a waste of mine and their time. Sort yourselves out SUSI. JOKE.

Howlin1

morgans303 wrote: »

SUSI are giving me serious problems. They've made me redo my application and send it back twice. Their email address doesn't seem to work. Sometimes they don't seem to know what's going on within their organisation. Just hold your breath.

You gotta remember 2 things though:
#1 this is the first year of SUSI
#2 this is Ireland

Old Perry wrote: »

Also ive heard of and know a few people who have received conformation from the vec/council that they will be receiving their grant. Would they vec/council have been so quick last year without susi?

It would have depended on which county and how busy they were and if it was your first year in college or not. I got word fairly early last year (I was going into 3rd year).
My brother got word a few weeks ago from the vec that he was getting a grant (he is going into 4th year so he didn't need to fill out SUSI).

AlexDublin wrote: »

SUSI is a joke. It is way too late in the year to be finding out whether or not we are approved for a maintenance grant/ student contribution. People are moving house, preparing for college, buying books and supplies at this stage and we still dont even know if we will be able to afford college.
[snip]

I know people who didn't know if they were getting a grant or not until the middle/end of November (or later) last year and the year before.

KatieLacey_

zzdp wrote: »

got this email from them yesterday and I presume they will want the from from everyone so if you want to be ahead of the game download it and get it stamped from your college.-


Your application is at the provisionally awarded stage. To complete your application you will need to submit a Final Course Acceptance Form. Please log onto www.cdvec.ie/student-Supports/grants.aspx and download the Final Course Acceptance Form. Return the completed form to Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) PO Box 12210, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, as soon as possible.

Thank you

SUSI Support Team

Thanks - Thats a lot of help instead of waiting around for them to tell me I'll have it ready to go

GarethBah

I got a letter a while ago saying i got accepted for a grant and i had to hand a letter into the college, do I still need to do this?

Media999

Every single year without fail it takes months to get grants.

It took me 5 months to get mine from Meath county council one year.

Dont hold your breath on getting it soon.

System is a complete mess with no accountability whatsoever. Typical Ireland really.

KatieLacey_

Media999 wrote: »

Every single year without fail it takes months to get grants.

It took me 5 months to get mine from Meath county council one year.


But the reason for susi is to put everything in the one place instead of doing it from your county council and then they do what were doing through dublin it cuts out a good bit but i dont know cause its the first year but hopefully next month

Media999

KatieLacey_ wrote: »

Media999 wrote: »

Every single year without fail it takes months to get grants.

It took me 5 months to get mine from Meath county council one year.


But the reason for susi is to put everything in the one place instead of doing it from your county council and then they do what were doing through dublin it cuts out a good bit but i dont know cause its the first year but hopefully next month

Money from the government never ever ever ever arrives on schedule. have a browse of the State Benefits section and youll see.

Fingers crossed anyway.

Zil2011

So has anyone else heard anything either way from SUSI other than zzdp? Not heard anything here and sent everything in before end of July including the p21's, birth cert, etc

Howlin1

I don't think you will hear for another week or so.

Media999

Zil2011 wrote: »

So has anyone else heard anything either way from SUSI other than zzdp? Not heard anything here and sent everything in before end of July including the p21's, birth cert, etc

Did you at leat get a letter saying you where accepted for next round or whatever?

Zil2011

Media999 wrote: »

Did you at leat get a letter saying you where accepted for next round or whatever?

I got a letter in July looking for my parents P21's, P60's and my birth cert. My mother rang me there a while ago saying she got a letter today asking me to fill out the form saying I accepted my college place, doesn't say whether I've been accepted or not. I seen on facebook that Susi are issuing a letter to people saying they need to provide proof that they've paid the property tax before they will get their first grant allowance?

Howlin1

Zil2011 wrote: »

I got a letter in July looking for my parents P21's, P60's and my birth cert. My mother rang me there a while ago saying she got a letter today asking me to fill out the form saying I accepted my college place, doesn't say whether I've been accepted or not. I seen on facebook that Susi are issuing a letter to people saying they need to provide proof that they've paid the property tax before they will get their first grant allowance?

Post from the USI on facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/USI.ie/posts/10151010573211910

We have contacted every County/City Council on your behalf in relation to the withholding of Maintenance Grants without payment of Household Charge. Below are a list of each Council and their response. Please comment below if you have received a letter from a County/City Council in relation to this and please specify which local authority.

Carlow County Council - No
Cavan County Council - No
Clare County Council - Yes, decisions made by themselves
Cork County Council - No
Donegal County Council - No response
Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council - No response
Fingal County Council - No
Galway County Council - No
Galway City Council - No response
Kerry County Council - No
Kildare County Council - No
Kilkenny County Council - No
Laois County Council - No
Leitrim County Council - No
Limerick County Council - No
Limerick City Council - No Response
Longford County Council - No
Louth County Council - No
Mayo County Council - No
Meath County Council - No
Monaghan County Council - No
Offaly County Council - No
Roscommon County Council - No
Sligo County Council - No Response
South Dublin County Council - No
Tipperary (NR) County Council - No
Tipperary (SR) County Council - No
Waterford County Council - No
Westmeath County Council - No but will on request from Department of environment
Wexford County Council - No
Wicklow County Council - No

TrustedApple

Some news Clare/Tipp county council have begun withholding student grants for those students who have not paid there household tax!

morgans303

What I really love is, if you make one little mistake or oversight (which most people do), they make you reapply from scratch. I'm reapplying for the third time.:mad:

Howlin1

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151011779196910&set=a.411944371909.195698.162384576909&type=1&relevant_count=1&ref=nf

South Tipperary County Council has backed down completely. Clare County Council has said that eligible applicants will not be denied their grant, but that there may be a delay for applicants who do not clarify whether their parents have paid the household charge.

Again, grants will not be withheld based on payment of the household charge. If they are, USI will take legal action.

While this is a significant improvement on the original story, USI believes that the grant should not be linked to the household charge in any way.

Magaa

Am i right in saying that you dont need the college to do anything on your final Acceptance form unless the college you are going to is outside of the republic of Ireland?

AlexDublin

i dont know about that magaa? i got my college to do it anyways and my college is in dublin. although the office staff said they hadnt seen one of these forms yet. then again they also said that the whole system for grants had changed and they hadnt received much notice on anything..... maybe just pop in and check with them? or better still give susi a call. good luck!

Wexfordboy89

well its been about three years since i was in college but when i was in college you usually get the first lot around the end of September beginning/second week of October.the next used to be end of Jan beginning of Feb and the last lot was end of May i think.it also used to be(may still be not sure) if you were doing a level 6/7 course it was payed straight into your bank account.but if you were doing a level 8 or higher you had to go and collect a cheque from information desk i think.hope that helps but it could be all different now

zzdp

received grant approval today

Zil2011

zzdp - thats great! Do you mind me asking when you submitted your final course acceptance form to them?

zzdp

Zil2011 wrote: »

zzdp - thats great! Do you mind me asking when you submitted your final course acceptance form to them?

about 3 weeks ago:)

Media999

Magaa wrote: »

Am i right in saying that you dont need the college to do anything on your final Acceptance form unless the college you are going to is outside of the republic of Ireland?

True. I rang SUSI to confirm.

KatieLacey_

I got my letter telling me how much I get from SUSI and was told to register my bank details - did that. Anyone else who did this how long does it take to be paid electronically?????

Zil2011

KatieLacey_ wrote: »

I got my letter telling me how much I get from SUSI and was told to register my bank details - did that. Anyone else who did this how long does it take to be paid electronically?????

1st payment is due on friday, I believe.

KatieLacey_

Zil2011 wrote: »

1st payment is due on friday, I believe.

But does it not depend on where you live because in our college we have a telly that shows all the county names; it tells you what counties have not received grants, who has and the counties that are currently being paid electronically?

KatieLacey_

If I recieve my grant tomorrow - which I am due - will I be back paid for missing Septembers deadline??

Wexfordboy89

KatieLacey_ wrote: »

But does it not depend on where you live because in our college we have a telly that shows all the county names; it tells you what counties have not received grants, who has and the counties that are currently being paid electronically?

not really depends on how long the VEC(if there still called that) of your county take to process their applications.you might have to collect a cheque if your doing a level 8 or higher course i did when i was in college if you did a level 6/7 it was paid into your bank account.

Howlin1

KatieLacey_ wrote: »

If I recieve my grant tomorrow - which I am due - will I be back paid for missing Septembers deadline??

I don't think so. It'll start this month, but you'll get the grant until june.

Liv40

Magaa wrote: »

Am i right in saying that you dont need the college to do anything on your final Acceptance form unless the college you are going to is outside of the republic of Ireland?

You are right, sent in form for my daughter to get stamped in college and they told her it is only if you live outside Ireland!

KatieLacey_

I was supposed to get my first payment last Friday and I'm still waiting did this happen to anyone else??

Article on todays journal. Only 12000 out of 65000 applicants have got word. :mad:

http://www.thejournal.ie/student-grants-third-level-susi-648593-Oct2012/

Howlin1

Has anyone here been told by SUSI that they didn't submit any of the documentation? I know of 3 people who have been told this (two in my course).

KatieLacey_

I've heard about that too, they lost it and then say the person never sent it at all?

Howlin1

Yea and then you don't really have any proof unless you did send it via registered post. But with ~50k applications still waiting to be processed some will get lost.

AlexDublin

luckily i registered all mine

AlexDublin

still no decision tho

Howlin1

Did you send in your acceptance letter, you could ring them asking for information?

AlexDublin

yeah i sent in waaaay back. they said they had received everything last time i rang them. which was about two weeks ago i think. and that i should hear soon. must ring again yeah.