The decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter for the relevant grant awarding authority in the first instance.
An applicant may appeal the decision of the grant awarding authority to its appeals officer.
Where the appeals officer decides to reject the appeal, the applicant may appeal this decision to my Department or the independent Appeals Board, as appropriate.
All student grant applications made under the 2011 student grant scheme and subsequent schemes are appropriate to the independent Appeals Board. This is provided for under the Student Support Act 2011.
Student grant applications under all previous schemes are appropriate to my Department.
A full review of a student grant application is carried out in both processes to ensure that the terms and conditions of the student grant scheme and governing legislation are properly applied in the cases involved. A decision in this regard subsequently issues from the Department/independent Appeals Board to the appellant and the grant awarding authority as appropriate.