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Prospective students

Mature Students Guide Degree Programmes Application Procedure MSAP Support Services Important Dates  Finances

Finances

• Free Fees Initiative
• Higher Education Grants
• Back to Education Allowance (BTEA) (Department of Social and Family Affairs)
• Cost of Education Allowance

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Free Fees Initiative

As a full-time Mature Student, you may qualify for the Free Fees Initiative, under which the Irish government will pay the tuition fees for your chosen course. The Free Fees Initiative does not cover NUI Galway's registration fee, however, so you would have to pay this yourself. For the 2011/12 academic year, this fee will be  €2000. If you qualify for the Higher Education Grant or the Third Level Training (TLT) Maintenance Grant, this registration fee will be paid by your Grant Authority.

Note: The Free Fees Initiative does not apply to postgraduate or part-time programmes.

There are three rates of fees for students attending NUI Galway:

1.     Free Fees

2.     EU Rate of Fees

3.     Non-EU Rate of Fees

If you do not qualify for either the Free Fees Initiative, EU Rate of Fees or a Special Exemption (see below), you would be considered an International Student and would have to pay the Non-EU Rate of Fees.

If you do not qualify for the Free Fees Initiative, you may be eligible to claim tax back on tuition fees that you have paid.

Free Fees:

To qualify for the Free Fees Initiative, you must meet ALL of the below criteria:

1.     First Undergraduate Qualification: Application for study in NUI Galway must be your first undergraduate program of study at a recognised NFQ (National Framework for Qualifications) Level AND

2.     Nationality Test: You must be in possession of:

1.     a valid EU passport (note: holders of EEA or Swiss passports are considered EU students for fees assessment) OR

2.     an original, long-form Irish Birth Certificate OR

3.     an original EU National Identity Card OR

4.     be in possession of Official Refugee Status OR

5.     be in Ireland under the Family Reunification Scheme

6.     AND

3.     Residency: You must have been ordinarily resident in an EU member state (or Switzerland or an EEA state) for at least 3 of the 5 years preceding your entry onto your chosen course in NUI Galway.

EU Rate of Fees:

If you do not qualify for the Free Fees Initiative under the above terms, you may still qualify for the EU Rate of Fees (and may still be eligible to apply for the Higher Education Grant). To qualify for the EU Rate of Fees, you must meet ONE of the below criteria:

1.     You are ordinarily resident in the EU and have received full-time post primary education in the EU for 3 of the 5 years immediately preceding admission OR

2.     You are ordinarily resident in the EU and have worked full-time in the EU for 3 of the 5 years immediately preceding admission OR

3.     You hold a passport from an EU state and have received full-time education in the EU for 3 of the 5 years immediately preceding admission.

4.     Note: The period that Non-EU students are resident in Ireland on Study Visas does
not contribute towards the residency requirement in relation to fee assessment
at NUI Galway.

For further assistance please visit NUI Galway Fees Office 

Special Exemptions:

Free Fees for Level 8 (Honours Degrees) will be applied to applicants who meet ONE of the below criteria AND fulfil the first programme of study / nationality requirements:

1.     A child or spouse of Irish Government Officials on assignment outside of Ireland (either within or outside of the EU) OR

2.     A child or spouse of officials of Irish Semi-State Agencies on assignment outside of Ireland OR

3.     A child or spouse of Irish Volunteer Development Workers, as certified by Irish Aid/APSO

Free Fees for Level 6 or 7 (Certificates/Diplomas/Ordinary Degrees) will be applied to applicants who meet the below criterion:

1.     Non-EU nationals who have been granted (i) Official Refugee Status OR (ii) are in Ireland as part of the Family Reunification Scheme are entitled to free fees for level 6 or level 7 programmes only if they do not meet the residency requirement. However, it must be the applicant’s first undergraduate programme of study. Please note that the residency requirement is waivered in these cases for such applicants applying for level 6 or 7 programmes but that the residency requirement is not waivered for such applicants applying for level 8 programmes.

EU Rate of Fees will be applied to applicants who meet ONE of the below criteria:

1.     A child (under 23 years of age) or spouse of members of the Diplomatic and Technical and Administrative Staff of accredited non-EU embassies serving within the EU OR

2.     A child or spouse of an Irish Aid Fellow from a non-EU country OR

3.     An applicant who has received all of his/her full time post-primary education within the EU, but who has not been resident in the EU for three of the five years preceding the official admission date to the programme. (The applicant must be in possession of a valid EU passport) OR

4.     A person who is ordinarily resident in Ireland for 3 of the past 5 years on a Leave to Remain (on Humanitarian Grounds) status issued by the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform will qualify for EU fees.

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Higher Education Grants

 

Important Changes to Student Grants & Charges in December 2010 Budget:

We are still seeking clarity on some of these changes, particularly whether the changes in automatic entitlement to non-adjacent rate of maintenance will affect all students in 2011/12 or just new applicants. As soon as we can confirm this information, we'll provide an update.

1): All maintenance payments to be reduced by 4%, effective immediately

What this means: Your next maintenance payment will be 4% less than your previous one. If for example, your last maintenance payment was €1,083, then your next will be about €1,040.

2): The qualifying distance from the student's home to the college will be increased to 45km (from 24km) in order to qualify for the non-adjacent rate of maintenance, effective from 2011/12

What this means: Previously, if your place of residence was more than 24km from the college, you were entitled to the non-adjacent rate of maintenance. Otherwise you only the got the adjacent rate, which is considerably less. This distance has now been increased to 45km, with effect from the start of the 2011/12 academic year.

3): Mature Students no longer automatically entitled to "non-adjacent" rate of maintenance, effective from 2011/12

What this means: Previously, all mature students were entitled to the "non-adjacent" rate of maintenance regardless of how close their residence was to the college. This will change from the start of the 2011/12 academic year. All grant applicants will be assessed based on the distance their residence is from the college. Currently, it is unclear whether this will affect all grant holders or new applicants from 2011/12 onwards. As soon as we clarify this, we'll provide an update.

4): The Student Services Charge/Capitation Fee/Registration Fee will increase to €2,000 from €1,500. Effective from 2011/12

What this means: Where previously, the fee was €1,500, it will increase to €2,000 for the 2011/12 academic year and become known as the "Student Contribution Charge." If more than one person in a family is in college, only one person will have to pay the full €2,000 while all other family members pay €1,500. It has not been made clear as to whether the Student Grant will cover this €2,000 in full or not, though the grant has adjusted in the past to match changes in this fee.

BTEA Changes 2010/2011

1):   Students in receipt of the BTEA (Back To Education Allowance) are no longer eligible for the maintenance portion of the Student Grant. Such students should still apply for a grant to pay their  registration fees (and in some cases, their tuition fees). Any student who is currently in receipt of both the BTEA and a Student Grant will be entitled to retain both payments.

2):   Some social welfare allowances, including the Back to Education Allowance which had been previously been excluded in the means-testing process, will be now be included as reckonable income in assessing eligibility for student grants.

3):   The residency requirement in the State for grant eligibility will be increased from one year to three out of the past five years for new applicants.

4):   The duration of the break in studies required for re-entry as an independently assessed mature student will be increased from one year to three years.

The telephone number of the Student Support Unit of the Department of Education and Science is: (01) 8734700 or (0506) 24386/24387/24383.

See website: http://www.studentfinance.ie/

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Back to Education Allowance (BTEA)

For full information on Back to Education Allowance see our BTEA page

Back to Education Allowance is a weekly social welfare payment for unemployed people who are attending College full-time and studying for a third level qualification. It is paid at the same rate as the unemployment payment and covers undergraduate and a limited number of postgraduate courses. The postgraduate option of the BTEA Scheme is only available to people who wish to pursue a postgraduate course of study that leads to a Higher Diploma (H. Dip.) qualification or a Graduate Diploma in Education (Primary Teaching).  Persons aged 21 years and over and who have been receiving benefits for 12 months or more, may attend a full-time third level programme and continue to receive a social welfare payment or lone parents’ allowance. Further details may be obtained from the Department of Social and Family Affairs, Back to Education Schemes, Shannon Lodge, Carrick on Shannon, Co. Leitrim Tel. (071) 9672698 in the case of those receiving unemployment payments, from Pension Services Office, Dept. of Social and Family Affairs, College Rd, Sligo Tel (071) 9148376 in the case of those on lone parents’ allowance and from Social Welfare Services Office, Longford Tel (043) 45211 in the case of those receiving disability allowance and invalidity pension. Students benefiting under this scheme should still apply for a Higher Education grant to fund their course of study.

See website: http://www.welfare.ie/

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Cost of Education Allowance:

In addition to your weekly payment, you will also be entitled to an annual Cost of Education Allowance payable at the start of each academic year. The amount of this allowance is € 500 per year.

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