Third-Level Education Grants
If you are thinking of furthering your education but are worried about the cost of full-time study, we may be able to help. On behalf of the Department of Education and Science we offer a Grant for students from Co. Westmeath who want to start any of the following full-time third-level courses:
- Post-leaving Certificate Courses (PLCs)
- Higher Certificate and Ordinary Degree courses at an Institute of Technology
- Add-on Primary Honours Bachelor Degree courses
- Certain categories of post-graduate study
- Certain courses within the EU
Degree Courses at University are also eligible for funding. Applications for grants are processed by Westmeath County Council.
This is a general guide only - if you are not sure if your course will be eligible for grant aid, please contact us. You might be entitled to anything from having your registration fee paid - currently worth €1500 - to receiving support of between €330.00 and €6355.00.
The scheme is means-tested. In other words, your eligibility depends on your income. You might be aged 18 or so, and might have just finished your Leaving Certificate. In your case, we would assess your parents' income for the previous full tax year, plus any income that you had earned yourself, less a deduction for reasonable holiday earnings. And if either you or your parents have lost a job or have had to reduce working hours in recent times, and your household income has fallen as a result, you may find you qualify for a grant.
But third-level study is not just for school leavers. Many people who have left the family home and spent time raising families or working are now choosing to enter or re-enter college or university. We can help here too - we simply assess earnings in a slightly different way.
If you'd like to see the income limits that we use, and to work out if you might be eligible, log on to www.studentfinance.ie and click on the 'Maintenance Grant' menu. It's an excellent site, full of information on money for students. While you're there, you can also print out an application form.
Alternatively, why not give us a call ? By answering a few simple questions, we can tell if it might be worth your while applying. And even when you see the application form for the first time and are daunted by the amount of detail it contains, we can help you with any difficulties you might have in interpreting and completing it.
Grant application packs for students commencing courses in the 2009/10 academic year are available now. To get one, give your name and address to:
Co. Westmeath V.E.C.
Marlinstown Office Park
Marlinstown
Mullingar
044-9394005/15
In the meantime, move your mouse pointer over the 'Third Level Grants' heading above for more menu options, including vital details on how to make a head start on your application.
