Grants & Funding

Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme (VTOS )

Please see VTOS page.

BTEA (Back to Education Allowance)

Please see BTEA page.

Maintenance Grants Scheme for Post Leaving Certificate Courses

This scheme caters for students who are entering an approved full-time Post Leaving Certificate (PLC) course for the first time in 2010/2011 or who are already attending approved PLC courses (FETAC Level 5/6 and BTEC National and Higher National Diploma courses).

Fees grants are not available The maintenance grant does not cover the cost of registration or examination fees. It paid each month directly into the students' bank account.
Students who do not already have a bank account will be required to open one so these payments can be made.

It is not necessary for students to know the exact course they will be attending in September in order to apply for a PLC Maintenance Grant. The initial decision regarding the grant is based solely on income. Your eligibility for a grant on income grounds will be determined by looking at:

Reckonable income for the period 1 January, 2009 to 31 December, 2010
The number of dependent children in the family
The number of children and also parents (if any) who will be attending certain courses of study in the 2010-11 academic year

A means test is applied. This involves an assessment of the earnings in the family (parents and candidate). Students over 23 years of age in the year of entry to the course, who are living outside the family home, will be assessed on their income and that of their spouse (if applicable). The level of grant aid varies according to age or the distance (50 km) from the student's home to the College.

Students commencing courses in September 2011 who are in receipt of VTOS or BTEA will be ineligible for PLC Grant assistance. Those who are in receipt of BTEA will need to submit a maintenance grant form to get payment of the student service charge and tuition fees. This grant does not cover Core VTOS courses.

Grant applications must be made on the official application form available from www.studentfinance.ie

Students applying should download

the official application form
the Guidance Notes for Completing the Application Form and
FA2 Form.

These will enable students to complete the application process more efficiently.Grant application forms are available from

the student’s local Vocational Education Committee from July each year (contact details available at ( www.cdvec.ie ) or
are downloadable from www.studentfinance.ie.
Grant applications can also be completed on-line.

The closing date for applications is usually mid to late August. The sooner the application is made the sooner the grant is processed. This grant is available to students who live in Dublin, in addition to students who live outside Dublin.