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There are three classes of grant under the 2013 Student Grant Scheme:

1. a maintenance grant;
2. a fee grant, and
3. a postgraduate fee contribution.

1. 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 2012

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 determined by the awarding authority to be 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.

The levels of maintenance grant applicable for 2013-14 are as follows:

(All figures are in Euros)

2. 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.

(i) 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 limit.

(ii) Student contribution element

The student contribution charge for 2013-14 is € 2,500. This charge is payable by students who qualify for free tuition fees under the Free Fees Schemes. You may be eligible for a full (100%) or part (50%) grant in respect of the student contribution charge depending on the level of your reckonable income.

(iii) Field trip element

A field trip is defined as a compulsory and integral part of a courses, which is for fact-finding or research purposes, and without which the student cannot graduate or progress to the next year of their course.

Students qualifying for a full (100%) fee grant, whether under the Free Fees Schemes or under the Student Grant Scheme 2013, for attendance on an approved undergraduate course in the State or for an approved postgraduate course in Northern Ireland may be eligible for a grant in respect of eligible field trip expenditure.

The rate payable (if any) is dependent on whether the tuition fee cost (regardless of whether it is funded under the Student Grant Scheme or the Free Fees Schemes) and the student contribution element exceeds the maximum fee limit.

The expenditure that is eligible for consideration in respect of a field trip grant is the reasonably incurred, receipted cost of travel and accommodation directly associated with the field trip.

PLC Programme Participant contribution:

There is no provision to pay a fee grant in respect of attendance on PLC course: this includes the PLC programme participant contribution. The following categories of PLC participants, however, is exempt from paying the PLC 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

3. Postgraduate Fee Contribution

Applicants pursuing an approved postgraduate course may be eligible for the award of a postgraduate fee contribution of €2,000 where the reckonable income is below the limit specified for a Postgraduate Fee Contribution in Schedule 1 of the Student Grant Scheme 2013.