For student grants purposes, a student may be assessed as an independent student if he/she has attained the age of 23 on the 1st of January of the year of first entry to an approved post leaving certificate course or an approved higher education course or of re-entry to an approved course following a break in studies of at least three years, and is not ordinarily resident with his/her parents from the previous 1 October. Otherwise he/she would continue to be assessed on the basis of his/her parents' income. In recognition of the fact that a student under 23 years of age can be estranged from his/her parents, it is possible under the student grant scheme, as an exceptional measure, for such a student to be assessed without reference to his/her parents/guardians income. However, compelling independent evidence of estrangement must be provided to the grant awarding authority to enable this. The type of independent evidence includes a letter from a social worker or other appropriate officer of the Health Service Executive explaining the circumstances of the estrangement. Confirmation that a student is living separately from his/her parents/guardians is not sufficient. I have no plans at present to change the eligibility arrangements in respect of students under the age of 23 who apply for a student grant.
