Student grants hiked 11% for poor families

COLLEGE students from the poorest backgrounds will be eligible for support grants more than 11% higher than last year this autumn, under a package announced by Education Minister Mary Hanafin yesterday.

But she was accused by student leaders of overstating the merits of the increased grants, which will barely match inflation increases for most of the 57,000-plus qualifying students.

The ‘top-up’ grant will rise to €5,970 or €2,390, depending on whether the student is at a college near home. Last year, more than 12,500 third-level students qualified for this level of support, with the income threshold now raised more than 7% and available to anyone with a household income below €16,748.

However, the increase in the standard grant for those from higher income backgrounds will only rise by 3% for those studying away from home and just 2.9% for the remainder — compared to a current inflation rate of almost 4% — to €3,110 and €1,245, respectively.

Union of Students in Ireland (USI) president Colm Hamrogue, said many students will be in a worse financial situation.

“Supposed increases to the basic maintenance grant could actually leave most low income students worse off in real terms, when you factor in inflation,” he said.

On a positive note, however, more students should be eligible this autumn as those whose family income is up to €37,365 will qualify for the full maintenance grant, or higher for families of four children or more — a rise of 5.3% on last year’s income threshold.

As the finalisation of grant rates and income thresholds comes up to a month later than in previous years, Fine Gael education spokeswoman Olwyn Enright urged local authorities and VECs to process grant applications grants as quickly as possible.

“It’s deeply ironic that, in the very year that the minister announced planned improvements to the third-level grant system, this delay occurred. This does not augur well for the future reform of the system under Minister Hanafin,” she said.