The Maintenance Grant is the only funding available to PLC students

• Tuition students and students in receipt of a BTEA (Back to Education Allowance) or VTOS (Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme) 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 installments over the course of the academic year.

• Maintenance grants are paid at adjacency and non-adjacent rates.  The adjacent rate is paid when a student’s college is 45km or less from their normal residence.  The non-adjacent rate is paid when a student’s college is more than 45km from their normal residence

• The total amount of the grant will depend on the level of a student’s reckonable income. The table below details the income thresholds and maintenance payments for PLC students (thresholds are in bold).

*The conditions to qualify for Special Rate are:

• Total household reckonable income must not exceed €24,500; and
• Reckonable income must include one of the long term Department of Social Protection eligible
payments which qualify you for Special Rate as prescribed under the Student Grant Scheme. See Special Rate awards for a list of eligible payments