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Mature Student Grant for Distance Learning?

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  • 22-02-2012 3:53pm
    #1
    Boring username
    Closed Accounts Posts: 679 ✭✭✭


    Hi,

    I just have a quick question regarding Distance Learning:

    Does anyone know if the Mature Student Grant is available for Open University/Distance Learning Courses? I was on the phone earlier to the Welfare Office but they weren't too sure. I know it must be a full time course though to qualify.

    I will contact the head office if I can't get an answer here, but I said I would chance it first before I have to go on a wild goose chase trying to get a simple answer from a Government Department..:p

    Has anybody any experience in this situation?


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    #2
    artvanderlay
    Registered Users Posts: 2,199 ✭✭✭artvanderlay


    I don't think you'll have any luck with it. I contacted the dole office about getting back to education allowance for the OU courses I'm doing this year but because it's not a full-time day course, I wasn't eligible for it (however, they did put me on the back to education part-time option, which isn't anything really as there's no benefit at all to that. They just want to know if you are studying part-time)


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    #3
    ronano
    Registered Users Posts: 3,142 ✭✭✭ronano


    I posted this in another thread but i think it applies to the op question art as well, art i'd ring up welfare and explain them your situation. Ring different people anything, half the time they are not aware of the ins and outs of the schemes.


    A variation of the back to education allowance is accepted under the Education, Training and Development Option (ET&D)
    (Retention of Jobseekers Allowance/Jobseekers Benefit) for open university



    Back to Education Allowance
    The Department of Social and Family Affairs’ Back to Education Allowance (BTEA) provides a range of education and training options from which an unemployed person can choose, or be directed to the most appropriate education or pathway for his/her needs.

    Because our part-time courses are recognised by HETAC in Ireland, two options under this programme may be of further support to OU students who are seeking or claiming Jobseekers Allowance. These are respectively:

    The Education, Training and Development Option
    The Part-Time Education Option
    For further information, contact the Deciding Officer at your local Social Welfare Office or go to http://www.welfare.ie/EN/Forms/Documents/bte1.pdf

    links below contain more info

    http://www.welfare.ie/en/operationalguidelines/pages/bte_all.aspx

    http://www3.open.ac.uk/near-you/ireland/p7_2.asp


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