Residency rule for third-level grants

STUDENTS will have to meet residency requirements to qualify for third-level grants under legislation being published by Education Minister Mary Hanafin today.

The Student Support Bill will hand responsibility for all four college grant schemes to city and county vocational education committees and allow the minister to set deadlines for applications, decisions and payments. But changes are also being made to the qualifying criteria to rule out the possibility of so-called grant tourism, under which people might come to study here because of the relatively generous grants system.

All applicants will have to have lived in Ireland for three of the last five years to qualify for a grant, whereas previously it was a requirement a student’s parent had to have lived here for the previous year.

Ms Hanafin explained while there was no evidence of international students taking advantage of the system, the measure is being introduced as a precaution. It is believed Ireland could become more attractive for EU students in the next few years, since the introduction of third-level fees in recent years in parts of Britain.

“In order to qualify for a grant, you will have to have been living here for three of the last five years, which will bring us in line with other EU countries,” said Ms Hanafin. She said she did not believe it would discriminate against many children of parents who had just recently moved here to work.

“The majority of third-level students go straight from school to college and only those who had arrived in the two years previous would be affected,” she said. The criteria will also mean students can take up to two years out of the country after school and still qualify for a grant when they return.

Only citizens of the EU, the EU economic area or refugees will continue to be eligible for college grants.

There are also residency criteria to qualify for free third-level fees but a student can have lived in any EU country for three of the past five years, rather than just in Ireland as will now be required for the grants schemes.

About 60,000 students receive financial support from €350 to € €3,500 depending on family incomes, with up to €3,270 extra available from those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Although the bill is likely to be enacted relatively quickly, it is believed unlikely that all the changes will come into effect for students applying next summer.

Plans to introduce the bill were announced by Ms Hanafin in summer 2006 but legal uncertainty over a number of aspects have delayed its publication until now.