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Irish citizen living in US wants to go to college here

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  • 22-06-2009 7:44pm
    #1
    The_Scary_Man
    Registered Users Posts: 677 ✭✭✭


    Hi,

    I'm not really sure if this belongs here or not (I read the 'non-traditional' thread and it didn't give me any more clarity) but I'll try it here and move on if it's not appropriate to this forum :)

    My daughter is living in the US with her mother and has been since she was three years old, she's thirteen now. When the time does come for her to go to college we both want her to come here to study.

    She is an Irish citizen with two Irish parents but some people I've talked to seem to think that because she has lived in the states for so long and has been educated there she will no longer be entitled to a 'free' college education here.

    Can anyone clear this up for me? I'd love my daughter to be able to go to college without being saddled with 20 years of loans to pay off.


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    #2
    peehaytchdee
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4 ✭peehaytchdee


    Hi Scary Man!

    Well your daughter needs to have RESIDENCY in an EU or EEA country in order to take advantage of EU fees. While citizenship is an advantage to gaining residency, she needs to have lived in Ireland (or another part of the EU) for three out of the five years before the course would start.

    See these websites for more info:

    http://www.citizensinformation.ie/categories/education/third-level-education/fees-and-supports-for-third-level-education/fees

    http://www.justlanded.com/english/Ireland/Ireland-Guide/Education/Fees-Finances


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    #3
    clicks
    Registered Users Posts: 24 ✭clicks


    perhaps investigate having what the effect of having her main address in ireland and only term time in the US


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    #4
    havinfun115
    Closed Accounts Posts: 10 ✭havinfun115


    We tried this. You will end up paying full fees unless you can prove residency you need letters of reference from people who have known you for the 3 years required. To be eligible for "free fees" you have to have completed your leaving certificate here and have no post secondary education. (to get around the leaving certificat you apply to your local county council for grants) Depending on what course she wants look at private schools. If you have an irish passport it is easier to around their EU non EU fees.


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    #5
    FreudianSlippers
    Registered Users Posts: 20,397 ✭✭✭✭FreudianSlippers


    I suppose one way of getting around this may be to have to go to the Institute of Education and do her leaving cert. But it would be hard. Not saying anything about your daughters education or intelligence, but I lived in the US when I was a teenager - I went to some middle school and all of high-school in the US and there is no way I could pass the leaving with that education. I got an associates degree then in the US and moved back here and did law. I went to a private college in Dublin and just said I was an Irish citizen, gave my Irish address and no questions asked they let me pay EU fees. I may have been lucky though.. who knows? Hope that helps somewhat.


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    #6
    FreudianSlippers
    Registered Users Posts: 20,397 ✭✭✭✭FreudianSlippers


    Actually come to think of it, if the OP is living here and paying taxes here there should be no reason to not allow her to attend 3rd level institutions at EU fees?


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    #7
    havinfun115
    Closed Accounts Posts: 10 ✭havinfun115


    The whole family moved back here and we could not afford non-EU the next year to get oldest into University. So that what we did, applied to private, showed Irish passport, proof of Irish address (utility bill) and voila into school he went. Worked out OK too as law is an undergrate so even paying for three years was a lot cheaper then putting into university in states.
    You should keep an eye on the news as well as they are seriously talking about bringing back tuition fees anyway - so no free fees - looking at doing Austrailian and Canadian thing where student loans don't have to be paid back until you start working after you graduate.


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