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Prospective students
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Finances
- Free Fees Initiative
- Higher Education Grants
- Back to Education Allowance (BTEA) (Department of Social and Family Affairs)
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 2015 academic year, this fee will be €3,000. If you qualify for the Higher Education Grant or the Third Level Training (TLT) Maintenance Grant, this registration fee will be paid by SUSI.
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.
Higher Education Grants
Please refer to
http://www.susi.ie/ for income thresholds and means testing details. Everyone should apply to SUSI so as to try to have their Student Contribution paid (3,000 euros) You will be required to give evidence of residency from the October of the preceding year of entering a full-time degree. So if starting in September 2015, you will need evidence of your Irish residency from October 2014 in a bill or legal document format with your name clearly stated.
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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Mature Students, National University of Ireland, Galway, University Road, Galway, Ireland.
E-mail: maturestudents
nuigalway.ie
This page was last updated Tuesday, October 28, 2014