A mature student and father of four has won a High Court case over the Government's move in 2003 to cut a back-to-education grant payment during college holidays.
The court ruled the Department of Social and Family Affairs had breached a commitment given to Michael Power.
However, Mr Justice John McMenamin stressed yesterday he was finding in favour of the claim of Mr Power only.
He rejected similar claims by 173 other students on grounds of their failure to explain their delay in bringing legal proceedings challenging the payment cut or to outline what steps they took individually after the holiday payment was ended.
The Department of Social and Family Affairs had announced the Back to Education scheme in 2002 to help mature students pursue third-level education courses. However, in March 2003, it stated it would not pay the grant during summer holidays.
Mr Power, a UCD chemistry student from Glencairn Drive, Leopardstown Valley, Dublin, had argued that without the scheme, he would have been unable to go to university.
He claimed he had a legitimate expectation the grant would continue to be paid during term holidays while he was studying for his degree course and that he was entitled to compensation for the decision to stop payments during holidays.
He said the department had, in an information booklet of June 2002 about the Back to Education Allowance scheme, offered them the allowance for the duration of third level degree and other courses, "including all holiday periods".