College Choice/Brian Mooney: Now that the decisions are being made as to whether to accept a place in college next year, a central question arises. Can you afford to accept a place in further or higher education?
Fortunately, for many of you the answer is yes,while for others , the grant system is crucial.
By when and how should you apply for a grant?
The closing date for grant applications this year is August 31st; however, the awarding bodies have discretion to accept late applications. It is crucial that applicants submit properly completed application forms as well as all the necessary documentation stipulated on the application form, otherwise the application form will be returned and will not be considered until the properly completed form is returned.
What kinds of grants are available?
Depending on the course a student is pursuing, they may be eligible for a grant under one of the following schemes: the higher education grants scheme, which generally applies to university degree courses.
Third-level maintenance grants scheme for trainees, which applies to level 6 or level 7 courses in the institutes of technology.
The Vocational Education Committees scholarship scheme, which generally applies to level 8 courses where students have already pursued a level 7 course. It also applies to certain courses in Northern Ireland.
The maintenance grants scheme for students attending post-Leaving Certificate (PLC) courses.
To whom do you apply?
The local authorities (local councils) administer the higher education grants scheme. The other three schemes are administered by the Vocational Education Committees. Grant applications should be made to these bodies as appropriate.
An application must meet the essential condition relating to means. There are other conditions, including those relating to age, residence, nationality and previous academic attainment.
How does the means test work?
When you apply for a grant, the income that is assessed must be at or below a specified amount (the "reckonable income" limit).
For the 2006/2007 academic year, the reckonable income limit (based on gross income for the tax year 2005) is as follows: if your family has fewer than four dependent children and reckonable income is less than €37,365 a year, you may be eligible to qualify for a full maintenance grant.
There are different thresholds for larger families, ranging from €41,055 for those with four to seven children, to €44,580 for those with eight or more dependent children. Higher income limits apply in respect of lower rates of maintenance grants.
The full student service charge is paid where families have
(a) fewer than four dependent children and incomes of under €46,700;
(b) between four and seven dependent children and incomes of under €51,325; or
(c) eight or more dependent children and incomes under €55,715.
In the 2006/2007 academic year, where two or more children (or the candidate's parent) are pursuing a course of study listed below, the reckonable income limits may be increased by €4,525 where there are two such children, €9,050 where there are three such children and so on, by increments of €4,525.
(i) Attending full-time third-level education;
(ii) Attending a recognised PLC course, student nurse training or student garda training;
(iii) Participating in a Fáilte Ireland (formerly Cert) course of at least one year's duration;
(iv) Attending a full- time Teagasc course in an agricultural college;
(v) Attending a recognised full-time further education course of at least one year in Northern Ireland.
What is the rate of grant?
Grants are paid at either of two rates: the non-adjacent rate, where the grant-holder's normal residence is more than 15 miles from the college and the adjacent rate, where the grant holder's normal residence is 15 miles or less from the college attended.
For 2006/07, the highest non- adjacent rate of grant is €3,110. The highest adjacent rate of grant is €1,245. Lower rates of grant are payable, depending on the reckonable income.
Grant-holders who satisfy certain conditions may be eligible for what is known as a top-up grant, an amount additional to the ordinary rate of grant. For 2006/2007, the non-adjacent ordinary grant plus the top-up has been increased to €5,970 and the adjacent rate to €2,390, ie a top-up of €2,860 and €1,145 respectively.
The reckonable income limit for the top-up grant for the 2006/2007 academic year is €16,748, all or part of which must be a social welfare or analogous payment. You can get details of these grant schemes from the local authorities and vocational education committees. Details are also available on the Department of Education and Science's website, www.education.ie
The National Office for Equity of Access to Higher Education administers the millennium partnership fund, the student assistance fund and the fund for students with disabilities on behalf of the Department of Education and Science. The Government, under the National Development Plan 2000- 2006, funds these schemes with assistance from the European Social Fund (ESF).
The millennium partnership fund.
This ESF-aided fund supports students from disadvantaged areas attending further or higher education courses. Partnership companies and community groups manage the fund locally. Information on partnership/ community groups can be obtained at An Pobal, 01-240 0700 (website: www.pobal.ie).
The student assistance fund (for approved third-level institutions).
This ESF-aided fund assists students who, having started a third-level course, experience financial hardship and therefore may be unable to continue their third-level studies. Applications for funding should be made by the individual student to the access officer in their institution. The fund is administered on a confidential, discretionary basis.
Students with disabilities - what supports are there?
Among the thousands of Leaving Certificate students who will secure a place in college this autumn there, will be a number with disabilities, so where can they turn to for advice and support? The first person a student with a disability should contact is the disability or access officer in their college or, in the case of PLC students, the principal of the PLC centre.
Each university and institute of technology now has a disability or access officer whose role is to support students as they move through college.
Further general information on third-level education is available to students with disabilities from Ahead, PO Box 30, East Hall UCD, Carysfort Avenue, Blackrock, Co Dublin, 01-716 4396 (website: www. ahead.ie).
The main source of funding is the ESF-aided Fund for Students with Disabilities. This fund provides grants for students who have serious sensory, physical, learning and/or communicative disabilities. The aim is to provide those students with assistance and/or equipment to enable them to complete their course of study.
The student on registration should discuss his/her particular disability and the equipment or services required with the disability/access officer or the principal, as appropriate.
Make sure your application form is correctly completed.
A final word of warning. Grant application forms are quite detailed and many are returned to applicants as uncompleted each year, thus delaying the payment to you. Make sure you have fully completed all questions and enclosed all appropriate documents, to ensure you receive your money as soon as it becomes available.
Tomorrow: final words of advice to this year's students on CAO and other options.
Brian Mooney's column will appear daily in the run-up to the CAO second-round offers