Masters...grants???

helloeverybody

Hey! ok I have a few Qs

I was not elegible to receive a grant during college under the means testing. I have been out of work for a while, I am 23 and was on Jan 1st 2009(if that is relevant for masters i dont kno) and I want to do a masters in 2009 but can't afford it. Is there any way I can prove that I am not financially supported by my parents so that I can get grant? The fact that I have been out of work for ages too, would that improve my chances? Also are you allowed to get grants for Smurfit because masters are €12,500? I am at my wits end here, please help!ps i finished college in 2006.

JDLK

Send an email to your local authority, they will send you an application form and information pack:
http://www.citizensinformation.ie/categories/education/third-level-education/fees-and-supports-for-third-level-education/higher_education_grants_scheme

Smurfit is eligible for grants

Check this website out: http://www.studentfinance.ie/

ixus

A grant, at present will cover you to the tune of 5K I think. Check the present rules. But you need to prove that you have been living away from home from October 2008 if you're taking up a course in 09. You need something like an esb, vodafone or other utility bill. When I applied last year I didn't have this and had to sign an affidavit to say I was living independently from my parents (at 25).

If you can't afford to go out alone, forget about Smurfit. I chose to go to UL. The grant covered 5K of a 6.5K course and I got 3K to cover rent which covered rent there for the year. You just have to save to cover other things. What is the course in Smurfit that is so special .

If this doesn't suit, check out this: http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055308628 this may be updated obviously.
these courses are subsidised. Spend some time and figure things out, there's no panic.

Keep it real! back to my beer..

graduate

If this doesn't suit, check out this: http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055308628 this may be updated obviously.
these courses are subsidised. Spend some time and figure things out, there's no panic.

The MSc in Business Analytics is the only Smurfit school programme subsidised by the HEA IT Skills scheme.

helloeverybody

ixus wrote: »

A grant, at present will cover you to the tune of 5K I think. Check the present rules. But you need to prove that you have been living away from home from October 2008 if you're taking up a course in 09. You need something like an esb, vodafone or other utility bill. When I applied last year I didn't have this and had to sign an affidavit to say I was living independently from my parents (at 25).

If you can't afford to go out alone, forget about Smurfit. I chose to go to UL. The grant covered 5K of a 6.5K course and I got 3K to cover rent which covered rent there for the year. You just have to save to cover other things. What is the course in Smurfit that is so special .

If this doesn't suit, check out this: http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055308628 this may be updated obviously.
these courses are subsidised. Spend some time and figure things out, there's no panic.

Keep it real! back to my beer..

thanks for that! so would i just have to sign an affidavid? or maybe i could get my relation or someone i kno to say i was living with them since oct 2008? how strict are they?

procure11

ixus wrote: »

A grant, at present will cover you to the tune of 5K I think. Check the present rules. But you need to prove that you have been living away from home from October 2008 if you're taking up a course in 09. You need something like an esb, vodafone or other utility bill. When I applied last year I didn't have this and had to sign an affidavit to say I was living independently from my parents (at 25).

If you can't afford to go out alone, forget about Smurfit. I chose to go to UL. The grant covered 5K of a 6.5K course and I got 3K to cover rent which covered rent there for the year. You just have to save to cover other things. What is the course in Smurfit that is so special .

If this doesn't suit, check out this: http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055308628 this may be updated obviously.
these courses are subsidised. Spend some time and figure things out, there's no panic.

Keep it real! back to my beer..

Hi Ixus,
I need some clarification on your post.You indicated you got 3k to cover rent ,Is this only applicable to specific courses or every masters programme and did you have to make a separate application for the rent (grant) or is it all included in the main grant.Thanks in advance for your responce.

googlefan

Hi,

I'm also hoping to go to Smurfit, paid my deposit recently. I've been recieving the grant for the duration of my degree. I was originally advised that the local authority would come to about 5/6k plus maintainance grant of 3k or so.

However, on Friday I rang again to check with local authority, and they weren't sure if the grant would cover Smurfit as it may be a private college? Does anyone else know about this?

Tom65

Quick question on this topic: can you get government grants for Masters courses abroad?

snubbleste

Tom65 wrote: »

Quick question on this topic: can you get government grants for Masters courses abroad?

No (except the North)

graduate

However, on Friday I rang again to check with local authority, and they weren't sure if the grant would cover Smurfit as it may be a private college?

Smurfit is the name of a building in UCD. You cannot have researched the programmes very extensively when you don't know what university is awarding them! While the person in the grants office is bringing the public sector into disrepute when they cannot identify the biggest supplier of postgraduate programmes in the country.


UCD Business School postgraduate courses are all more than the 6K the grant will cover, except the MSc in Business Analytics, which has a reduced fee of €2000 as it is covered by the advanced skills funding. So the grant will pay only part of the fee.

googlefan

Yeah, cheers Graduate. I'm well aware of where Smurfit is, and how much the programmes will cost.

However, that is exactly what the local authority worker said. I obviously pointed out that its in UCD, but apparantly some of their courses are classed as private and others not. I was told to ring UCD, couldn't get an answer on the phone.

Anyway, I'd say the Government will try and tighten the purse strings next year. They probably advise civil servants to be vague and misleading.

graduate

I'm well aware of where Smurfit is, and how much the programmes will cost.

Sorry if I drew the impression that you didn't. Unfortunately Smurfit sometimes likes to pretend that it is a private college.....

Anyway, I'd say the Government will try and tighten the purse strings next year. They probably advise civil servants to be vague and misleading.

Perhaps, they can also be misleading through incompetence or laziness. Unfortunately cutbacks probably also mean Masters fees will increase.
I suppose Smurfit has executive programmes and the like, but the programmes that a recent graduate can do, without experience, are straightforward UCD Masters programmes. Really, grant awarding bodies should have a list of these, and not be relying on the applicant to "ring UCD".

googlefan

Nice one Grad. Think Smurfit went up €400 or something minimal.

Sure you know yourself, trying to deal with anyone in a State job is normally very painful. I was dealing with a lovely women getting my transcripts recently, it was so refreshing to encounter a decent person in an admin role!

ixus

procure11 wrote: »

Hi Ixus,
I need some clarification on your post.You indicated you got 3k to cover rent ,Is this only applicable to specific courses or every masters programme and did you have to make a separate application for the rent (grant) or is it all included in the main grant.Thanks in advance for your responce.

The 3kish is called a maintenance grant which you receive in 3 installments during the course. If you get the fees, you get the maintenance too. It's all part of the one application.

You'll be able to find what courses are covered on the HEA website somewhere. It's pretty much every University course AFAIK.

Sorry for the delay.

hallox

googlefan wrote: »

However, on Friday I rang again to check with local authority, and they weren't sure if the grant would cover Smurfit as it may be a private college? Does anyone else know about this?

Hi googlefan, i'm currently considering doing the masters in marketing in smurfit and i too wish to know whether i can get the grant.. does the grant cover the smurfit business school?

convert

hallox wrote: »

i too wish to know whether i can get the grant.. does the grant cover the smurfit business school?

As was mentioned above, the correct title for 'Smurfit' is the UCD Smurfit School of Business. It is simply the same as any other school in UCD, such as the 'UCD School of History and Archives', for example. As stated above, Smurfit School of Business sometimes like to give the impression that they are a private school, but they're not. However, some local authorities and county councils are under the impression that they are and are inclined to tell applicants that they are not eligible on these gounds.

That's not the case, and students who are eligible to receive a HEA grant ARE entitled to receive a grant for studying (most) postgraduate courses in UCD Smurfit School of Business. I know a number of people who received a grant for this year (2009-10) and previous years.

ugabuga

hallox wrote: »

Hi googlefan, i'm currently considering doing the masters in marketing in smurfit and i too wish to know whether i can get the grant.. does the grant cover the smurfit business school?

You can get the grant if you're in Smurfit, I did! It's just part of UCD after all.

Fox McCloud

On the question of how much they'll cover with a grant, I emailed cork county grants and this is the response I got..

For the 2009/10 academic year, when a candidate applies for a Higher Education Grant for postgraduate studies, one can be found eligible for tuition fees to the value of €6,270.00. Where a candidate qualifies for a maintenance grant and is pursing an approved course at postgraduate level the Local Authority shall award a grant in respect of the student services charge of up to €1,500 provided the charge and the tuition fee does not exceed the maximum fee limit (€6,270).



In addition, a candidate can be found eligible for a maintenance grant. For the maintenance grant, the maximum that a candidate can be found eligible for is €3,420 on the non adjacent rate and €1,370 on the adjacent rate. The adjacent rate is where a candidate is living within 24 kilometres of the college and the non adjacent rate is where they live beyond this distance.



Tuition fees and Student Services Charges are paid directly to the college and the Maintenance Grant is paid to the Student which they can use to help themselves get through college.



The figures I have quoted are for the current academic year, the Higher Education Grant Scheme varies from year to year, you are advised to refer to the Scheme relevant for the year in which you are applying for accurate and up-to-date information. If there has been a break in your studies, you will need to be reassessed and you will need to apply to the Local Authority in whose administrative area you were living at October 1st in the year prior to commencing the course.

The Failed God

Are grants eligible for research masters or simply just taught course masters~? Very helpful thread lads...

finuge

Hi, I am an MA student at the moment and have applied for SUSI grant for fees. Are there any exceptions to them giving a maintenance grant for someone who has previously been on job seekers benefit? I cannot qualify for the part time education allowance as although the MA is only two days a week in semester 1 and one day in semester 2, the college classify it as full time. I have appealed the decision but no joy. As a result I have no means at the moment. Not sure if there are other places that I can apply to?