Check Grant Levels
The levels of maintenance grant applicable for 2011-12 from January 2012 are as follows:
| Levels of Grant | Non-adjacent Rate
| Adjacent Rate | Student Contribution Paid? |
| Special rate of maintenance grant | 5,915 | 2,375 | √ | |
| Standard rate-100% maintenance | 3,025 | 1,215 | √ | |
Standard rate-75% maintenance
| 2,270 | 910
| √ | |
Standard rate-50% maintenance
| 1,515 | 605
| √ | |
Standard rate-25% maintenance
| 755
| 305
| √ | |
(All figures are in Euros)
Maintenance grant:
A maintenance grant is a contribution towards the living costs of a student and is payable at
(a) the standard rate, at either a full (100%) or part (75%, 50% or 25%) , depending on the level of reckonable income or
(b) the special rate which is payable depending on the level of reckonable income and on condition that you are in receipt of an eligible payment as at the 31 December 2010
The maintenance grant is paid at either the adjacent or non-adjacent rate, depending on the distance between a student’s normal residence and the institution where the approved course takes place. The adjacent rate is payable if the student’s normal residence is 45km or less from the approved institution they are attending. The non-adjacent rate is payable in all other cases.
A tuition student does not qualify for a maintenance grant.
Fee grant
A student or tuition student can be considered for a fee grant which is made up of three elements (tuition fee element, student contribution element and a field trip element). The reckonable income bands for maintenance and fee grants and the approved course you are attending will determine the various elements of the fee grant that may be payable.
Tuition fee element
If you are pursuing an approved undergraduate course in the State and your fees are not being met under the Free Fees Schemes or if you are pursuing an approved postgraduate course in the State or Northern Ireland you may be eligible for the tuition fee element of the fee grant. The rate payable (if any) is dependent on the level of your reckonable income and is subject to maximum fee limits.
Student contribution element
A new student contribution charge of €2,000 has been introduced in higher education with effect from the 2011/12 academic year. The charge will be €2,250 for the 2012-13 academic year. This charge which replaces the Student Services Charge is payable by students who are deemed eligible for free tuition fees under the Free Fees Schemes. You may be eligible for the student contribution element of the fee grant payable in full (100%) or part (50%) depending on the approved course you are attending and the level of your reckonable income.
Field trip element
Students qualifying to have their fees met under the Free Fees Schemes or for a full (100%) fee grant under the Student Grant Scheme, 2011 for attendance on an approved course of study in the State or for an approved postgraduate course in Northern Ireland may be eligible for the field trip element of the fee grant if they are required to participate in a compulsory field trip as part of their course. The rate payable (if any) is dependent on whether you qualify for 100% fees and is subject to the maximum fee limit.
Note: No fee grant is payable in respect of attendance on an approved Post Leaving Certificate course.
PLC Programme Participant contribution
A new PLC programme participant contribution has been introduced in further education with effect from the 2011/12 academic year. This charge is not payable under the student grant scheme. However, the following categories of PLC participants are exempt from paying the contribution to the course provider:
- Full medical card holders in their own right and their dependent children
- Those who are eligible under the Student Grant Scheme
- Those in receipt of the Back to Education Allowance (BTEA) or Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme (VTOS) allowances
