SUSI Grant Queries Help Please!

slick14

Hi
Can someone tell me...
Qualified plumber (assume this is a level 7). Can I apply for a SUSI grant to do a different Level 7 course in Horticulture? Would I be entitled to get back to education allowance BTEA? Living in a house share and unfortunately out of work (on jobseekers). Trying to plan for the future. I will be a mature student. On the SUSI form it asks for cohabitants? I assume I don't need to give my house mates details?
Apologies if these are stupid questions - I'm new to all this kind of stuff.
Thanks in advance for any help or ideas on this,
Slick.

Sup08

slick14 wrote: »

Hi
Can someone tell me...
Qualified plumber (assume this is a level 7). Can I apply for a SUSI grant to do a different Level 7 course in Horticulture? Would I be entitled to get back to education allowance BTEA? Living in a house share and unfortunately out of work (on jobseekers). Trying to plan for the future. I will be a mature student. On the SUSI form it asks for cohabitants? I assume I don't need to give my house mates details?
Apologies if these are stupid questions - I'm new to all this kind of stuff.
Thanks in advance for any help or ideas on this,
Slick.

Hi,
You won't qualify for a level 7 course if your qualification is at level 7 already. You should check with QQI or SUSI about your current qualification as some trade qualifications are only level 6.

You can apply for a level 8 in horticulture if there is a course available if your qualification is regarded as level 7.

You only declare co-habiting if you are in a common law relationship with the person you are living with.

Also, if you are under 23, you will have to apply as dependent upon your parents or if it has been less than 3 years since your last qualification (depending on the qualification, including your apprenticeship).

You would have to provide evidence of living independent since October last year or the year prior to your entry into higher education to qualify as an independent student.

You must meet the criteria set out by the DSP for BTEA which is available here

3.3 Linking provisions
Periods spent on any qualifying payment and periods on other activation schemes (see 3.4, 3.5, 4.1, 5.1 and 6.1) which are not broken by more than 12 months (52 weeks) can be used in determining if an applicant satisfies the qualifying period criteria.
3.4 Counting periods on other schemes towards the qualifying period
Periods spent on a range of other education, training, work placement and activation support schemes can be taken into account when determining the required number of days in receipt of a qualifying payment. The schemes include: full-time training courses operated by SOLAS/ETBs, Community Employment, Rural Social Scheme, Tús, JobBridge/WPP, Gateway, Part-time Job Incentive Scheme, Back to Work Enterprise Allowance or Short-term Enterprise Allowance and VTOS. Only in circumstances where a Case Officer is satisfied that a course of study represents a better activation option, should an applicant cease engagement on these programmes prior to completion. Eligibility to BTEA does not extend to Qualified Adults of participants of these schemes.
This provision applies only in cases where the applicant has established an entitlement to a qualifying social welfare payment immediately prior to commencement of their course (see 3.3 for linking arrangements).