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Graduate medicine Loans

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  • Registered Users Posts: 73 ✭✭PeadarGalway


    Rcsi fees are up...

    16,940


    Jesus.


  • Registered Users Posts: 161 ✭✭GradMed


    Just sorting out documentation to apply for tax back on my college fees when I saw this. 1st year GEM cost 11,942 in 08/09 and went up to 13,915 11/12.
    Not sure how much UCD will go up this year but it should still be a few grand less than RCSI.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 87 ✭✭EngDoc


    Rcsi fees are up...

    16,940


    Jesus.

    Sweet jebus...that's expensive!

    I've contacted just about everyone I can think about regarding the high fees and lack of support: local TD, minister for health, IMO, HEA, Dept of Social Protection.

    Hate to admit defeat but it looks like there's just no support out there. Either you get a massive bank loan, already have 100K tucked away in a savings account or have some wealthy benefactors to help out.

    Think it's time to call it a day...


  • Registered Users Posts: 73 ✭✭PeadarGalway


    GradMed wrote: »
    Just sorting out documentation to apply for tax back on my college fees when I saw this. 1st year GEM cost 11,942 in 08/09 and went up to 13,915 11/12.
    Not sure how much UCD will go up this year but it should still be a few grand less than RCSI.

    Tax back? How much can you claim?


  • Hosted Moderators Posts: 2,559 ✭✭✭Tazzle


    Tax back? How much can you claim?

    http://www.revenue.ie/en/tax/it/leaflets/it31.html


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  • Registered Users Posts: 161 ✭✭GradMed


    You can only claim it back if you've worked a sufficient amount in the tax year. If you haven't, which is pretty likely, transfer your fees to a working family member and get them to pay your fees for you.


  • Registered Users Posts: 73 ✭✭PeadarGalway


    GradMed wrote: »
    You can only claim it back if you've worked a sufficient amount in the tax year. If you haven't, which is pretty likely, transfer your fees to a working family member and get them to pay your fees for you.

    Thanks gradmed! So, does that mean the loan would be in their name too? I'm terrible with anything like this! do we claim them back each year or wait until the end of the 4years?


  • Registered Users Posts: 55 ✭✭51533823


    GradMed wrote: »
    You can only claim it back if you've worked a sufficient amount in the tax year. If you haven't, which is pretty likely, transfer your fees to a working family member and get them to pay your fees for you.

    I had hoped to do this but unfortunately AIB will only pay our fees directly by bank giro, making this impossible.

    Pity, as it would save a couple of grand a year.


  • Registered Users Posts: 383 ✭✭Biologic


    You can only claim back 20% of the first €5000 I think. Just another absurd rule that screws GEPs...


  • Registered Users Posts: 299 ✭✭Abby19


    Biologic wrote: »
    You can only claim back 20% of the first €5000 I think. Just another absurd rule that screws GEPs...

    More than one person can claim the 20% up to the €5,000 limit. So say your fees are €15k up to 3 people can claim on your behalf. Btw only fees can be claimed. Registration charges are not allowed.

    I have discussed this with someone from the revenue and it is permitted.


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  • Hosted Moderators Posts: 2,559 ✭✭✭Tazzle


    51533823 wrote: »
    GradMed wrote: »
    You can only claim it back if you've worked a sufficient amount in the tax year. If you haven't, which is pretty likely, transfer your fees to a working family member and get them to pay your fees for you.

    I had hoped to do this but unfortunately AIB will only pay our fees directly by bank giro, making this impossible.

    Pity, as it would save a couple of grand a year.

    I'm with AIB and only went with them if they allowed me to pay my own fees. (so I could claim tax back) Wasn't a problem at all. BOI were having none of it when I approached them. AIB were really flexible, it's very unfortunate for new entrants that they are no longer an option.


  • Registered Users Posts: 59 ✭✭DeadEight


    51533823 wrote: »
    AIB will only pay our fees directly by bank giro, making this impossible.
    You pay the fees regardless of the fact that the bank facilitate the payment directly to the college. Enter the expense on your tax return or PAYE Online system as an education expense. You will have a receipt from the college to back up the claim.

    I've never actually paid my GP for anything, I always use Visa. Visa pays the GP, and a few weeks later I pay back Visa. I still claim the expense on my tax return. The situation is identical from the perspective of Revenue.

    If the Revenue do not accept that you paid the fees then you obviously do not have to pay back the bank, as you never spent the money.


  • Registered Users Posts: 14 DCM2012


    .


  • Registered Users Posts: 73 ✭✭PeadarGalway


    DCM2012 wrote: »
    .

    Insightful :pac:

    However frustrating and painful all of this talk about money and fees is, let us just remember the beautiful fact that we don't have to resit the GAMSAT! :D


  • Registered Users Posts: 3 danball


    Abby19 wrote: »
    More than one person can claim the 20% up to the €5,000 limit. So say your fees are €15k up to 3 people can claim on your behalf. Btw only fees can be claimed. Registration charges are not allowed.

    I have discussed this with someone from the revenue and it is permitted.

    Wow! That could knock about three grand off the fees! Thanks GradMed and Abby19 :) I'm looking at the form now. There's 'name of claimant', 'name of student' and 'name of person who paid the fees'. So, whose name goes in that last box? And can you still do this if your fees are paid directly by the bank?


  • Registered Users Posts: 299 ✭✭Abby19


    danball wrote: »
    Wow! That could knock about three grand off the fees! Thanks GradMed and Abby19 :) I'm looking at the form now. There's 'name of claimant', 'name of student' and 'name of person who paid the fees'. So, whose name goes in that last box? And can you still do this if your fees are paid directly by the bank?

    Check the info from the revenue website and the citizen's advice bureau website (similar wording). If you read them they are ambiguous as to what can be claimed and by whom.

    I know when I looked through it I rang my revenue office, explained my situation and asked if I paid €5k, and someone else paid the remainder, could that someone else claim tax relief also. I was told yes. And yes I did get tax back.

    Whoever is claiming tax relief on your behalf may need to have a receipt to present to revenue. So they should get bank drafts/deposit slips showing they have paid the fees to support their claim. If the bank is paying fees directly, then I am not sure how this would work.
    Tazzle wrote: »
    I'm with AIB and only went with them if they allowed me to pay my own fees. (so I could claim tax back) Wasn't a problem at all. BOI were having none of it when I approached them. AIB were really flexible, it's very unfortunate for new entrants that they are no longer an option.
    Tazzle managed to get the money from the bank and paid the college directly. If this can save you ~€2-3k in tax, I don't see why you cannot justify this to your bank.

    It may even be possible to overpay the college in fees and get a refund if the bank won't oblige (but check with the college what are the overpayment policies, might be an idea not to mention it is just to claim tax back straight off).

    See http://www.revenue.ie/en/tax/it/leaflets/it31.html
    This has changed slightly as the limit is now €7k.
    'For the tax year 2007 and subsequent years, an individual can claim tax relief on fees paid for Third Level courses in respect of any individual as long as he or she has paid the qualifying fees.'
    So if you divide up your fees and different people pay varying proportions, then why shouldn't they each be able to claim on their portion. I interpreted it as the limit was to do with the person paying the fees. There wasn't a limit in respect of for whom the fees were paid. This was the basis of my discussion with the revenue. It was over a phone call and not a written response.

    Anybody claiming has to be earning enough money to be paying tax to claim it back though. So while it may make sense to claim for yourself in 1st year, chances are in subsequent years you may not earn enough over the summer to have paid enough tax to actually claim it back.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 72 ✭✭dmccormack01


    Very interesting, cheers guys, potential to save a lot of money here!


  • Registered Users Posts: 3 danball


    Thanks again to Abby19 for the info above!

    There might be a better thread for this but does anybody know if GEMs are eligible for UCD entrance scholarships based on GAMSAT scores. Or for the medicine scholarship based on exam results?

    All this freaking out about money has me wondering about change of mind.
    I had put RCSI first choice, but a couple of grand extra per year adds up.

    Also, UCD seem to sponsor a good few people's summer electives each year. RCSI seems to have more international connections, but there's no sign of any help in financing it.

    Just a day or two left for change of mind. Any thoughts?


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,979 ✭✭✭Jammyc


    So has anyone heard anything more about BOI/Ulster Bank loans?

    Also from talking to people at the GEM open day in UCD, you could save about 2 grand-ish from exemptions in 1st year GEM if you had done equivalent modules. Only thing to be wary of is the requirement for registration in the states and passing the USMLE that you must have covered certain modules as accredited by a medical school and not a science faculty, if I understood correctly.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 44 kingofkong


    danball wrote: »
    . RCSI seems to have more international connections, but there's no sign of any help in financing it.

    Just a day or two left for change of mind. Any thoughts?

    this is where a lot of meds do their summer research http://www.ucd.ie/conway/


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  • Registered Users Posts: 33 Joe2011


    So, anybody any thoughts on their final order of preference with the deadline near by? Are there any potential benefits to one course over the other, due to the AIB situation? I know RCSI is obviously more expensive than the rest, but has anyone discovered any significant cost savings between any of the other courses?


  • Registered Users Posts: 7 gembryo


    danball wrote: »
    Thanks again to Abby19 for the info above!

    There might be a better thread for this but does anybody know if GEMs are eligible for UCD entrance scholarships based on GAMSAT scores. Or for the medicine scholarship based on exam results?

    All this freaking out about money has me wondering about change of mind.
    I had put RCSI first choice, but a couple of grand extra per year adds up.

    Also, UCD seem to sponsor a good few people's summer electives each year. RCSI seems to have more international connections, but there's no sign of any help in financing it.

    Just a day or two left for change of mind. Any thoughts?

    As far as I know, the entrance scholarships are for undergrads only. Post grads (i.e GEMs) don't qualify. I know people with very high GAMSAT and LC scores doing GEM and none of them got anything.


  • Registered Users Posts: 7 gembryo


    Tazzle wrote: »
    I'm with AIB and only went with them if they allowed me to pay my own fees. (so I could claim tax back) Wasn't a problem at all. BOI were having none of it when I approached them. AIB were really flexible, it's very unfortunate for new entrants that they are no longer an option.

    I went with BOI- they paid my fees directly but gave me a receipt which I gave into the revenue and claimed tax back on.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 72 ✭✭dmccormack01


    guys does anyone know if you would have enough time to sort out your loan after you got an offer (ie. august time) or would we really need to be sorting it out now even if we dont manage to get a place


  • Registered Users Posts: 7 gembryo


    There's no rush. Quite a few people in our class in UCD paid fees in October and November, so plenty of time to sort out loans.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,979 ✭✭✭Jammyc


    So, does anyone know if UB require a guarantor?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 72 ✭✭dmccormack01


    Jammyc wrote: »
    So, does anyone know if UB require a guarantor?

    from a post a couple of pages back i think it said BOI was the only on that wanted a guarantor, however UB had quite a lot of conditions with their loan.


  • Registered Users Posts: 7 gembryo


    from a post a couple of pages back i think it said BOI was the only on that wanted a guarantor, however UB had quite a lot of conditions with their loan.

    Is that a new stipulation with BOI? I didn't need a guarantor last year.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 72 ✭✭dmccormack01


    gembryo wrote: »
    Is that a new stipulation with BOI? I didn't need a guarantor last year.

    yep i think they just brought it in this year


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  • Registered Users Posts: 1,979 ✭✭✭Jammyc


    yep i think they just brought it in this year

    Is it definitely for all applicants?

    Also, I can't find the post you were talking about. What are the conditions of the Ulster Bank loan?


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