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Significance of being a Mature Student?

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  • 15-09-2007 4:26am
    #1
    bostonian
    Closed Accounts Posts: 141 ✭✭


    Name: Chris
    College: None yet
    Year/Course: N/A
    Age: 25
    Societies/Clubs/Interests:

    Dia dhuit
    I'm waiitng 3 years to get EU residency before I go off to Uni, so I'll be close to 30 before I even begin, unless I want to pay the outrageous 11k euro/yr to start sooner.

    What is the significance of being a mature student? I'm afraid I'm not familiar with the concept.


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    #2
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 16,720 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    Split from 'Introduce yourself' thread.

    The significance of being a mature student is really that you don't have to apply through the 'traditional' method of applying for college. You mightn't need the necessary points for the course, and you may be entitled to grants that non-mature students would be entitled to (or, as is often the case, being entitled to being assessed for grants by yourself instead of yourself and your parents/guardians).

    Colleges have a certain % (15% I think) allocated for students from 'non-traditional' backgrounds which includes mature students, students with disabilities, students from travelling backgrounds, students from socio-economically disadvantaged areas etc. In order to be classified as a mature student you must (generally) be over 23 on the 1st of January in the year you are applying for a course. However, this is only generally the case as people on this forum have mentioned how some courses in colleges are mentioning that they will accept students who are 21 as 'mature students', so I think the whole think is slightly blurred.

    There's more information in the Resources page as well as the Going back to College? page if you want some extra reading :)


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    #3
    McGinty
    Closed Accounts Posts: 829 ✭✭✭McGinty


    Hi Bostonian

    Basically the concept of a mature student is someone who is over 23 years of age and can apply to a college in Ireland under the grounds of their age, education, work and life experience. For persons under 23 when they apply to a college it is purely based on their leaving cert results, whereas a mature student application is more subjective, some colleges choose mature students on their application only whereas others use their own application forms and also conduct interviews, and in some cases you have to provide written work depending on what course your applying for. Hope that helps.


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    #4
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 16,720 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    Post moved from 'Introduce yourself' just so it can be kept clean.


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