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Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 4 Mar 1998

Vol. 488 No. 2

Written Answers. - Mature Students.

John McGuinness

Question:

204 Mr. McGuinness asked the Minister for Education and Science if it is the intention of his Department to change or review the guidelines which determine a mature student in the context of a grant application, to enable persons of age, living away from home on their own means, to apply and be considered in their own right for grant purposes without carrying out a means test on parents. [5983/98]

Under the terms of the higher education grants scheme, a mature student is defined as a student who is at least 23 years of age on 1 January of the year of entry to an approved course and mature students can be categorised as either independent mature students or mature students dependent on parents. An independent mature student is defined as a mature student who was not ordinarily resident at home with his or her parents from the October preceding their entry to an approved course.

Independent mature students are deemed to be self-supporting and are assessed without reference to either their parents' income or address. An independent mature student's residence for the purpose of determining the rate of grant payable under the scheme is their residence for the purpose of attending college. If this address is 15 miles or less from the college being attended, the adjacent rate of grant, £647 maximum, is payable. If the address is more than 15 miles from the college the non-adjacent rate, £1,624 maximum, is payable. However, where an independent mature student can produce evidence that he-she is maintaining a residence other than their address while attending college, it is open to the local authority to regrd that address as the student's normal residence.
I am aware of the particular difficulties facing mature students and I have already announced that I will be reviewing the position of independent mature students in the context of the 1998 higher education grants scheme.
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