Grants galore for students

Aislinn O’Connor

Students all around the country will be retreating back to college within the next few weeks.

With the price of education and accommodation on the rise, grants like the Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) grant are more important now than ever. Last year alone over 18,000 applications were rejected by SUSI and if you were one of these unlucky applications, you still have a chance at receiving financial help.

The Student Assistance Fund is one of the grants that are available to students provided by the Higher Education Authority (HEA). Although tuition fees are not covered by this grant, it covers such things as books, rent, food, travel and much more. Students can apply for this grants to help with temporary or ongoing financial difficulties. The Student Assistance Fund is open to National Framework Qualifications levels 6-10.

Tha Back to Education Allownce (BTEA) is another grant that offers financial support to people returning to college after a break from education. BTEA is available to those who are 21 and over for an undergraduate course and those that are 24 and over for a postgraduate course. However, there are exemptions to this rule, for example those who are on disability allowance. You must apply for this grant before starting your course or within 30 days of starting.

The 1916 bursary is another source for students when looking for financial support. Although this bursary is more limited, it still awards successful candidates €5,000 per annum. Recipients must be at a financial disadvantage and must also be from a specific target group laid out by the HEA, such as an ethnic minority, a first time mature student entrant, an Irish Traveller and students with a disability. A full list of these target groups can be found on the HEA website.

Along with these grants, the HEA have other bursaries and scholarships that specific students can apply for. The Naughton Scholarship is open to all who are interested in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM). 32 students are awarded the scholarship yearly from all over the country. The Irish Refugee Fund helps assist asylum seekers progress into further education. More information on these scholarships and bursaries can be found on the HEA website.

UCC and CIT participate in all the above scholarships, grants and bursries.