PLC courses are only available within the State. Similar courses which lead to further education awards outside of the State are not eligible for student grant assistance.
The maintenance grant is available to Undergraduate students pursuing approved courses outside the Irish State.
Tuition students and students in receipt of a Back to Education Allowance (BTEA) payment are not eligible to receive the maintenance grant.
The maintenance grant is a contribution towards day-to-day living costs and is paid directly to eligible students through nine monthly instalments over the course of the academic year.
Maintenance grants are paid at adjacent and non-adjacent rates. The adjacent rate is paid when a student’s college is less than 30km from their normal residence. The non-adjacent rate is paid when a student’s college is 30km or more from their normal residence.
The total amount of the grant will depend on the level of a student’s reckonable income.
Postgraduate students pursuing approved courses in Northern Ireland may be eligible for the maintenance grant and fee grant.
Depending on the level of a student’s reckonable income, they may qualify for either a postgraduate fee contribution of €4,000 or a Postgraduate fee grant, up to a maximum of €6,270, towards the cost of their fees, plus a maintenance grant.
Maintenance grants are paid at adjacent and non-adjacent rates. The adjacent rate is paid when a student’s college is less than 30km from their normal residence. The non-adjacent rate is paid when a student’s college is 30km or more from their normal residence
Tuition students pursuing a course outside the State are not eligible for grant funding.
To be eligible for the Special Rate of maintenance grant, you:
- Must be eligible for the ordinary rate of grant;
- Your total reckonable household income must not exceed the special rate thresholds; and
- On 31 December of the previous year to your application, the reckonable household income must include an eligible long-term Department of Social Protection payment as prescribed in the Student Grant Scheme for the relevant year or its equivalence from an EU Member State.
