The higher education grant schemes operate under the Local Authorities (Higher Education Grants) Acts, 1968 to 1992. Under the terms of these Acts a mature student is defined as a person of not less than 23 years of age on 1 January of the year of entry to their third level course. Under the terms of the higher education grants schemes, mature students are categorised as either independent mature students or mature students dependent on parents. An independent mature student is defined to mean 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.
When assessing the means of students other than mature students, the Acts specify that the students' means and those of their parents or guardians must be below a prescribed limit. This provision requires that parental income be taken into account irrespective of the individual circumstances in any case where the student is not a mature student.
Any revision in the terms of the scheme would have to be considered in the light of available financial resources and other competing demands in the education sector.
In 1996, the student support schemes were extended to provide maintenance grants to undergraduate students pursuing approved third level courses in other EU member states. In general, the approved courses in other EU member states are full-time undergraduate courses of not less than two years' duration pursued in a university or third level institution, which is maintained or assisted by recurrent grants from public funds. There are, however, a number of excepted courses including those in medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine and teacher training courses, including those leading to the award of bachelor of education.
In order to qualify for grant assistance, a candidate must satisfy the relevant conditions of the student support schemes in regard to age, residence, means and nationality.
Subsequent to the report of Sir Ron Dearing on the future of higher education, the UK authorities introduced a number of changes in the financial support arrangements for students pursuing courses at further and higher education institutions. This included the introduction of an annual tuition fee for students entering further and higher education institutions for the first time from the 1998-99 academic year and the replacement of maintenance grants by student loans to be phased in from that year also.
