Dear Guidance Counsellor,
The Department of Education and Skills published the Student Grant Scheme for the 2011/12 academic year on the www.studentfinance.ie
website on Monday 27th June 2011.
As always, the emphasis is on getting students to apply as early as possible for a grant so as to avoid long delays in processing applications- many students simply don't apply until after they have received a CAO offer. Often students don't properly complete forms or send in the correct supporting documentation. This causes significant delays too. To alert school leavers to the fact that the Scheme has been published and the Student Grant Application Form is now available an e-mail alert has been arranged to issue to CAO applicants.
Up until now, there were four grant schemes. In the first major step to overhaul the student grant system, the four schemes have been replaced by a single unified scheme this year. This will make it far easier for students to apply for a grant.
Students should visit www.studentfinance.ie
to access information about student grants and to complete or download a Student Grant Application Form. Guidance notes on completing the application form are also provided for download.
A new system providing students with an online student grant application facility is currently available in 35 grant awarding authorities.
Access to the on-line application form together with a full list of the grant awarding authorities accepting on-line applications is also available on www.studentfinance.ie
As soon as students have made their final course acceptance they need to complete the relevant course acceptance form and return it to the local authority/VEC office where they submitted their student grant application.
If students have any queries in relation to their grant application they should contact the grants section of their local authority or VEC.
Please find below for your information a link to the completing an application form page on www.studentfinance.ie
http://www.studentfinance.ie/mp9532/completing-a-student-grant-application/index.html
Thank you for your on-going support and assistance,
Yours sincerely,
Nicola Healy,
Higher Education - Equity of Access,
Department of Education and Skills,
Portlaoise Rd,
Tullamore,
Co. Offaly.
057 9324387
