btea and course fees

ForeverYoungx

i am currently on JSA and hoping to switch to BTEA if i get accepted to the course i have applied to. i know i am not entitled to the maintenance grant if i get BTEA, but is there anything i can apply for to help with course fees? i have noticed the fees are high, its a makeup course, all of the kit comes to nearly €1000..is there anything i can get to help with this?

i will be living on my own on BTEA and it will be near impossible for me to save that much money

Balagan

ForeverYoungx wrote: »

i am currently on JSA and hoping to switch to BTEA if i get accepted to the course i have applied to. i know i am not entitled to the maintenance grant if i get BTEA, but is there anything i can apply for to help with course fees? i have noticed the fees are high, its a makeup course, all of the kit comes to nearly €1000..is there anything i can get to help with this?

i will be living on my own on BTEA and it will be near impossible for me to save that much money

Yes - see this...
From the 2011/12 academic year the Student Grant Scheme is divided into 2 components – maintenance grants and fee grants. You cannot get the Back to Education Allowance (BTEA) and the maintenance component of a student grant together unless you were getting BTEA in the 2009/10 academic year and are continuing your studies or progressing to a new course. Although you are not entitled to the maintenance component of the student grant, you must still submit a student grant application form to be assessed for a fee grant to pay your Student Contribution (formerly called the student services charge), field trip costs and tuition fees (if payable).
http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/social_welfare/social_welfare_payments/back_to_education/back_to_education_allowance.html

ForeverYoungx

thank you i read that earlier but i wasn't sure if it covered the makeup kit fees also, i thought it was just exam fees and such

wmpdd3

Its just for the course fees, you can put a case forward for the exam fees but you wont get the kit. There used to be a €300 per year payment for supplies for college but now its gone. Contact the college, I'm sure they have loads of students in the same situation.

Balagan

ForeverYoungx wrote: »

thank you i read that earlier but i wasn't sure if it covered the makeup kit fees also, i thought it was just exam fees and such

If you get BTEA you can certainly apply for fees- but, like you, I am not sure about money to cover the kit. I would be very doubtful about it but you can always ask at Dep of Social Protection.

ForeverYoungx

thanks guys, looks like i'll have to cancel my interview for the course theres no way i can save up that money