Students’ union says thousands will be left out of loan scheme

Thousands of students struggling with loans or overdrafts will be excluded from a Government- backed scheme to help postgraduates meet course costs, the Union of Students in Ireland has claimed.

The scheme, announced yesterday by Bank of Ireland for postgraduates at all state-funded colleges, follows the withdrawal of maintenance grants from this year for all new postgraduate students.

It will cover course fees and allow reduced interest-only repayments during the study period, with capital repayments to begin three months after completion.