Students who fall out with their parents are often forced to leave college because there is no provision in the maintenance-grant scheme which allows them to prove they are independent of their family, a USI report has argued.

The report on "non-completion" of third-level courses cites case studies of students who for one reason or another have clashed with their parents and have had to leave the family home.

One case study describes the predicament of an 18-year-old student who got actively involved in the gay scene in the city where she was studying. When she was "outed" to her parents by someone else living in the city, they "reacted very badly", effectively threw her out of home and stopped funding her education. Because her family's income was relatively high, the student did not qualify for a grant or any other form of State subsidy. While the local students' union provided some support from the student hardship fund, it eventually became clear she would have to take a part-time job to fund her studies.

The student decided that her options were simply full-time education or full-time employment. "She was forced to drop out of college and work full-time to support herself."

Another case study in the report describes the similar predicament of a young man who had "frequent violent clashes with his father". Just before Christmas, the situation "became intolerable" forcing him to move out of home. He worked long hours in a fast-food outlet over the holiday period in an effort to finance himself independently, but when he applied for a grant to help him through the rest of the academic year "he was told that it is not possible for a student under 23 years of age to be assessed independently regardless of the particular circumstances".

The late hours demanded by his employers - he sometimes worked as late as 4 a.m. - made attending college the following morning and studying very difficult. He decided to drop out, but hopes to return as a mature student.

USI has called for a £10 million package to address the problem. It says extra financial support should be particularly targeted at students from disadvantaged backgrounds. An extra payment of £750 should be made to the poorest 20 per cent of those receiving the grant, they say; such a measure would cost £8 million.

The students are also seeking independent assessment for some students under 23, and extra support for people studying in areas where the cost of living is high. They have called on the Minister for Education to outline exactly how he aims to increase the student maintenance grant "as resources permit".

USI also says the range of study options facing the school-leaver is "bewildering", with NCEA-validated courses alone totalling 760. "This choice is made by a 17 or 18 year old who is already under a deal of pressure preparing for the Leaving Certificate examination . . . If the choice is less than perfect, the student is left feeling like a failure."

Many European countries' grants systems offer their students "a second chance", the union says.

The report calls for students to be allocated personal tutors, or student advisers, to guide and liase between the student and the institution in which they study. Colleges should also be encouraged to set up peer supports and study-skills classes, USI says.

Such measures might stem "the large amount of unrealised human potential and financial investment which the current system generates", the report concludes.