Changes to student maintenance grant schemes

Education Minister Mary Coughlan announced a number of changes this week to the student maintenance grant schemes for 2010/2011, urging eligible students to apply early.

The Tanaiste confirmed that income limits to qualify for maintenance grants and payment of the student services charge are to remain unchanged.

Parents or legal guardians with fewer than four dependent children can earn up to €51,380 without having to pay the student services charge, which will be up to €1,500 depending on the third-level institution.

The Tanaiste also confirmed that the annual income threshold for students from families on low incomes, (who get the higher special rate of maintenance grant), is being increased from €22,308 to €22,703.

The student grants section of the Department of Education and Skills has introduced a new, more user-friendly student grant application form for 2010/11, and has re-designed the guidance notes booklet to make it more accessible.

This should result in a decrease in the number of incomplete applications the grant awarding authorities receive, and ensure speedier processing of applications.

The 2010/11 Student Grant Application Form, Guidance Notes and Schedules will be available this week on www.studentfinance.ie.

The department is encouraging students to submit their 2010/11 Student Grant Application as early as possible before the closing date of August 31, 2010. Students need not wait until they have accepted a place in college to apply for a grant.

Meanwhile, the following query relates to the CAO change of mind.

QMy son wants to use his CAO change of mind facility now before the Leaving Cert starts, but I think he should wait until the exams are over, when he has a better idea of how he has done.

AThere is no restriction on the number of times an applicant may change his or her mind, up to July 1, so he could change his mind now and change again after the exam if he wanted to. However, it would be distracting and a waste of time for him to spend too much time mulling over course changes, and he obviously wants to get it out of the way now.

When you say that you feel he should wait until the exam is over because he will have a better idea of how he has done, I worry a little. Is there a suggestion there that he should make changes based on how he estimates he has done in the exam? This can be a mistake.

Students are often the worst judges of their own performance in examinations. Some applicants panic and believe they have not done as well as they hoped. They use their change-of-mind facility to remove some of the more competitive course choices from their application.

They should leave their courses in order of genuine preference, and only alter them if they have decided they do not want a place on a course they have applied for.

It is wise to leave room at the end of the application for some courses that are less competitive, but that the applicant would enjoy, just in case they do not get the number of points required for genuine higher preferences. But leave genuine higher preferences in there, because if you remove them and get the necessary points, you will not be offered them.

Irish Independent