The higher education grants scheme operates under the Local Authorities (Higher Education Grants) Acts 1968 to 1992. These Acts define a mature student to mean "a person of not less than 23 years of age, or such other age as may stand specified for the time being in regulations made by the Minister with the consent of the Minister for Finance, who have secured places in approved institutions and have reached that age on the 1st day of January, or such other date as may be prescribed from time to time by the Minister with the consent of the Minister for Finance, in the year of entry to such institutions".
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/her parents from the October preceding their entry to an approved course. Independent mature students are assessed without reference to either their parents' income or address.
In order to establish that a candidate is an independent mature student documentary evidence is required as proof of a candidate's ordinary/permanent address from 1 October of the year preceding entry to college. The notes booklet, which accompanies the 2004 grant application form, outlines the documentary evidence required as proof of permanent/ordinary address from 1 October 2003. Examples of documentary evidence required include telephone, gas or ESB bills. A rent book, on its own, would not be considered sufficient proof of independent residence from the required date. The awarding authorities are obliged to satisfy themselves beyond doubt that an acceptable degree of proof is submitted by the grant applicant in establishing eligibility under all aspects of the schemes.
