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SUMMARY OF CHANGES TO STUDENT GRANT AS A RESULT OF BUDGET 2012
A number of changes were announced in Budget 2012 relating to the student grant schemes:
A: Reduction in overall rates of grant
- A reduction of 3% is to be applied to the rates of all student grants effective from 1 January 2012.
- This reduction applies to all existing grant holders and to new grant holders alike.
B: Fees and maintenance grants for new entrants to postgraduate studies
- Students entering new postgraduate courses from the 2012-13 academic year onwards will not be entitled to any maintenance payment under the Student Grant scheme.
- However, students on the lowest level of income entering new postgraduate courses from the 2012-13 academic year who qualify for the special rate of grant will be eligible to qualify to have tuition fees paid up to the maximum fee limit under the Student Grant scheme.
- A limited number of other low-income students who would previously have qualified under the standard grant thresholds will qualify to have a €2,000 contribution made towards the cost of their fees. However, there will be a new income threshold for this payment which will be lower than the standard grant threshold. The income threshold for this level of grant is currently determined in the context of the formulation of the student grant scheme for the 2012-13 academic year.
C: Student Contribution
- The student contribution is being increased by €250 to €2,250 from the 2012-13 academic year. All undergraduate students covered by the Free Fees Scheme who are eligible for means-tested support will continue to have the student contribution paid on their behalf in addition to receiving any maintenance grant and tuition fee grant to which they are entitled.
This website is a convenient and user-friendly source of information on financial support for further and higher education. We hope you find it useful.
You will see as you browse through studentfinance.ie that there are several financial assistance schemes available in Ireland to help you to progress through further and higher education.
The Student Grant is the main source of financial assistance and anyone who is thinking of embarking on further study should investigate whether they are eligible, and, if so, submit an application. The Student Grant section of studentfinance.ie is the most comprehensive source of information on the available schemes that you will find anywhere in Ireland. It provides a handy step-by-step guide to eligibility in clear, plain English.
We provide information on course fees and details on eligibility requirements for free fees. In addition, you will find out all you need to know about other sources of assistance for students, such as the Fund for Students with Disabilities, the Back to Education Allowance and the Student Assistance Fund. You can find answers to possible questions you may have by accessing our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) section. Lastly, we provide details and links to a range of other organisations and websites that may be of interest and/or assistance.
We wish you every success in your studies!
