Under the terms of my Department's free fees initiative, tuition fees are payable in respect of eligible EU nationals who have been ordinarily resident in an EU member state for at least three of the five years preceding entry to their third level course. This condition applies equally to all EU nationals, in accordance with a judgment of the European Court of Justice that access to vocational training must apply equally to all EU nationals.
Under the terms of my Department's maintenance grant schemes grants are payable to candidates holding EU nationality who fulfil certain conditions pertaining to residence, nationality, means and previous academic attainment. To fulfil the residency requirement, a candidate's parents, or in the case of an independent mature candidate, the candidate herself or himself, must have been resident in the State from 1 October of the year prior to entry on an approved course. The awarding body has discretion to waive this requirement in exceptional circumstances.