[Article] Going to college: Adult student rights in Ireland

Irish Independent 20/02/2008

www.independent.ie/education/going-to-college/going-to-college-adult-student-rights-in-ireland-1294053.html?r=RSS



Going to college: Adult student rights in Ireland

A non-Irish reader emailed us from the US to say that he was curious about the rights of adult students in Ireland. He asked: "How does education for adults work in Ireland? Is education for adults free?" He raised many interesting issues -- space dictates that we can only answer a few.

Let's begin by defining an 'adult' student. Anyone who has reached the legal age of majority, 18 years of age, is technically an adult. However when we use the phrase 'adult education', we tend to mean adults who have left school for some time, who are returning to education either part-time or full-time.

The term 'mature' applicant has a specific significance in terms of selection for third-level courses. To be eligible for entry as 'mature' students, applicants must be 23 years of age by January of the proposed year of entry.


Q Is education for adult/mature students free?

A The Department of Education and Science pays the tuition fees to approved colleges on behalf of all first time undergraduate students attending full-time courses, who hold EU or Official Refugee status, and who have been ordinarily resident in an EU member state for at least three of the five years before entering the course. Mature or adult students are covered under this scheme, provided they meet these conditions.

Mature students may be entitled to maintenance grants on the same basis as other third-level students. Grants are based on family income limits, and on whether or not the student must live away from home to attend college or is living at home. It is generally recognised that grants are not really sufficient to live on, and most students look to their parents for some support.


Q What are the figures for mature students as a per centage of the full-time student population?

A Around 10pc of new entrants to college are 'matures'. In recent years, applicants to CAO from mature candidates have risen slightly each year, totaling 8,805 out of an overall 65,000 applicants in 2007.


Q Is competition keen for mature applicant places?

A Mature students are usually selected on the basis of criteria other than school leaving results and points. Usually a quota of places is kept for them. Competition is keen for all applicants (whether standard or mature) in many courses, but there are many courses which are easier to get into as a mature student.


Q Where can mature applicants find more information about opportunities?

A They can get a general overview of their opportunities on www.qualifax.ie, where they will find a number of sites devoted to mature entry. They can access on this site the Mature Students Directory of Irish Third-Level Institutions, which is published by the Network of Irish Mature Student Officers.

The Adult Educational Guidance Initiative offers guidance, information and advice to three main target groups -- VTOS, Literacy and Adult community education. Guidance is provided both in group settings and in one-to-one sessions with clients in 41 centres nationwide.