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Financial aid for single mother going back to college?

  • 18-01-2013 12:32pm
    #1
    Ms. Pingui
    Registered Users Posts: 581 ✭✭✭


    I'm a 23 year old single mother. I would love to go back to college full time in September to study for a degree.
    I'm currently living with my parents, who unfortunately have both been made redundant recently. I am receiving 200 euro per week lone parents allowance at the moment.
    I would have to move an hour away from home for college. My daughter will be three by September and she will have to move with me.

    What financial aid would I be entitled to towards rent, college expenses, childcare etc. if I decided to try this?


Comments

  • #2
    ShaShaBear
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,528 ✭✭✭ShaShaBear


    Ms. Pingui wrote: »
    I'm a 23 year old single mother. I would love to go back to college full time in September to study for a degree.
    I'm currently living with my parents, who unfortunately have both been made redundant recently. I am receiving 200 euro per week lone parents allowance at the moment.
    I would have to move an hour away from home for college. My daughter will be three by September and she will have to move with me.

    What financial aid would I be entitled to towards rent, college expenses, childcare etc. if I decided to try this?

    You would need to go on the Council Housing List for the area you would be moving to. They usually wont put you on the list until you are already renting in that area - essentially you will need your own deposit and first month's rent (but check with a CWO as they sometimes assist here)

    When you have been living in the house, you can apply for rent allowance, which will pay a substantial amount of your rent - once it is under the rent limit for that area (rates can be checked on welfare.ie).

    You can apply for Back to Education Allowance, which is the same amount as your current welfare payment, plus a grant of €300 towards books etc (which takes a few months to process usually) and if you have not already been to college, you can apply for the government grant to pay your fees for you.

    As for childcare, as far as I am aware you will be able to avail of a number of places in certain government subsidised creches, but other than that I don't think you will get much. Check with the college, some of them have day-care centers to the best of my knowledge.

    Lastly, if you are thinking of going to do a degree, the best way to apply is through CAO as a regular student (the age for a mature student has increased). Applications for this close soon enough, and there is a small fee you need to pay in order to apply. You might want to get your application in, as it costs nothing to decline a place if you are offered it, and it can save you going through the disastrous route of interviews for your place.


  • #3
    eastbono
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,758 ✭✭✭eastbono


    The book allowance has been scrapped for new and existing claimants.
    http://www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/353_Back-to-Education-Allowance.aspx

    There is no advantage in OP applying for BTEA. You can apply for the full grant for college just not the fees part of the grant but if on BTEA you can only receive the fees portion of the grant. Info below on student grant process.
    http://www.studentfinance.ie/mp7232/maintenance-grant/index.html


  • #4
    confuseddotcom
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,790 ✭✭✭confuseddotcom


    Is the Book Allowance gone completely?!? How's it I didn't hear about that?! Oh My God the last Course I started, there was like 6 or 7 books to be got all upwards of €40, plus the First Aid Module had to be paid for by ourselves which was something like €150 approx! So, basically any books and materials will have to be paid for by the Student so anymore?


  • #5
    eastbono
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,758 ✭✭✭eastbono


    Yes the book allowance is gone.


  • #6
    ShaShaBear
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,528 ✭✭✭ShaShaBear


    eastbono wrote: »
    Yes the book allowance is gone.

    First I heard of it too!!!! :eek: Absolutely horrified! Bad enough that I didn't hear about it being reduced, very sneaky that they didn't make a thing about it being abolished!


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  • #7
    ShaShaBear
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,528 ✭✭✭ShaShaBear


    eastbono wrote: »
    The book allowance has been scrapped for new and existing claimants.
    http://www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/353_Back-to-Education-Allowance.aspx

    There is no advantage in OP applying for BTEA. You can apply for the full grant for college just not the fees part of the grant but if on BTEA you can only receive the fees portion of the grant. Info below on student grant process.
    http://www.studentfinance.ie/mp7232/maintenance-grant/index.html

    Depends on how far away the OP will be living from the college. She is not entitled to a social welfare payment and the maintenance grant. The maximum she can get for living close to the college is €2375 spread over 9 months. €263 a month. If she applies for BTEA, which she is completely entitled to, she will get €200 per week. How on earth would she be expected to keep herself and a child on the maintenance grant?!

    OP, what I said stands, if you go on to BTEA you can keep all your benefits, and apply for those available to mothers on social welfare, as well as getting your fees paid by the maintenance grant (without the monthly amount being given).


  • #8
    eastbono
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,758 ✭✭✭eastbono


    ShaShaBear wrote: »
    Depends on how far away the OP will be living from the college. She is not entitled to a social welfare payment and the maintenance grant. The maximum she can get for living close to the college is €2375 spread over 9 months. €263 a month. If she applies for BTEA, which she is completely entitled to, she will get €200 per week. How on earth would she be expected to keep herself and a child on the maintenance grant?!

    OP, what I said stands, if you go on to BTEA you can keep all your benefits, and apply for those available to mothers on social welfare, as well as getting your fees paid by the maintenance grant (without the monthly amount being given).

    If you are on OFP you can get the full grant and keep your payment if you are on BTEA you cannot get the maintenance grant only the portion that covers registration etc. So therefore she will be better off not changing to BTEA.

    http://www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/swpayments_grant.aspx


  • #9
    ShaShaBear
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,528 ✭✭✭ShaShaBear


    eastbono wrote: »
    If you are on OFP you can get the full grant and keep your payment if you are on BTEA you cannot get the maintenance grant only the portion that covers registration etc. So therefore she will be better off not changing to BTEA.

    http://www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/swpayments_grant.aspx

    I see, my mistake, I thought the rule of either grant or social welfare payment applied to everyone, must enlighten a few friends of mine who were told they were not entitled to both.


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