Grant system changes for agri colleges

Teagasc is to introduce means testing of maintenance grants for first-year students at its seven agricultural and horticultural colleges from the beginning of the coming academic year.

A new maintenance grant system will replace the traditional system where all students were automatically offered residential accommodation at colleges.

Students who meet the means-testing criteria will be paid a maintenance grant similar to the VEC rate. The current rate is €111.42 per week for non-adjacent students (more than 45km from home to college) and €44.64 per week for adjacent students. The overall rate for the year will depend on the duration of the particular programme being undertaken.