Students still not availing of the grants

You've heard the story about the barman who sends his kids to college and ends up paying all the costs. Meanwhile, his boss, who owns the pub, sends his offspring to third level on full grants. The story may be less apocryphal than you think. One third-level source confirms that some relatively well-off families are availing of State grants for their children.

Just recently, a grant-aided student from a farming background applied for extra support from a college's emergency fund. Close scrutiny of the application revealed that the student was less needy than had first appeared. The family was able to declare a low income for grant purposes, yet managed to run a newish Mercedes and a Range Rover and enjoy two foreign holidays each year.

Conversely, many students from genuinely low income families are failing to apply for maintenance grants. "We have students living in the greater Dublin area who are not applying for grants," explains Deirdre Grattan, manager of UCD's fees and grants office. "Students from the country are very familiar with the grants system, but students coming from areas where there is little previous experience of going to college are often unaware of their eligibility," she says.

Although the closing date for grant applications was August 6th, Grattan says it's still worth applying if you think you'll qualify, since local authorities may accept late applications. "Students who have applied late will probably not have been approved by the start of the college year," notes Grattan. "In this event, they will be asked to pay the student registration fee (£278) which will be refunded when the grant authority pays the college."

In order to qualify for a full third-level maintenance grant, the annual family income must be no more that £19,200 - if there are fewer than four dependent children in the family. Where two or more children or the candidate's parent are pursuing full time education at third level, attending a PLC, student nursing or Garda training, participating in CERT or Teagasc courses, the income level rises - by £2,160 where there two such children and by increments of £2,160 per child thereafter. These income levels represent small increases on last year's.

The full maintenance grant for a student living away from home is now £1,690 per year - up a staggering £38 on last year. Live less than 15 miles away from college and you can expect a mere £676 - even if your parents are on the breadline. This year for the first time, though, all mature students who qualify for a grant will be paid the higher non-adjacent rate. Clearly, there's no way that students can support themselves on these amounts.

According to figures produced by DCU, it costs an annual £4,750 to keep a student living away from home at college. This figure is based on shared accommodation for an eight-and-a-half month academic year. Rents, which are now running around £50 per week, eat up the lion's share of expenditure. On top of that, you can expect to spend £130 monthly on food, according to DCU, and a further £100 on travel, books and other academic requisites, clothes, laundry and medical expenses. Even if you live at home, you're likely to need about £2,600 to cover your annual college expenses. "The maximum rates of £1,690 (non-adjacent) and £676 (adjacent) amount to 36 per cent and 26 per cent, respectively, of the actual cost of living," comments Barry Kehoe, who is DCU's director of student services. "For an 18-year-old living at home, the higher education grant is just over a quarter of what he or she would receive on the dole." In real terms, students on maintenance grants are far less well-off than they were almost two decades ago, Kehoe argues. Between 1982 and 1999 inflation increased by 112 per cent yet the increase in student grants amounted to only 69 per cent.

Every year, the USI conducts a survey among students and comes up with figures based on actual student spending. This year, they're saying that a student living away from home will need just under £5,000 each year (£4,981.86), while those who live at home will need almost £3,000 (£2792.70).

However, students surveyed by USI enjoy active and expensive social lives. The union figures allow £80 per month for alcohol and £20 for tobacco. Students who don't drink or smoke will be able to make considerable savings here.

Books and academic requisites represent one area on which it would be unwise to skimp. The USI estimates that students require around £400 for books each year, while, according to DCU, that figure is closer to £300. The amount, though, can vary depending on your subjects. Legal and medical textbooks, for example, are particularly expensive.

Maintenance grants come from a number of sources. The Higher Education Grants Scheme applies to full time undergraduate and postgraduate courses at approved institutions including the universities and the institutes of technology. This scheme does not extend to the private colleges. However, tax relief at the standard rate is available on fees paid to the private sector for approved courses.

The VEC Scholarship Scheme covers full-time undergraduate and postgraduate courses at UL, DCU, the ITs and a number of colleges in the non-university sector. Students on approved full-time PLC courses are now eligible for ESF funded grants which are also available to students following middle-level technicians courses at the ITs. Applications for the Higher Education Grant Scheme should be made to your local authority. The other three schemes are administered by the Vocational Education Committees.

DCU's Barry Kehoe, meanwhile, expresses concern about a major difference between the Higher Education Grant Scheme and the ESF Third-Level Maintenance Grant Scheme. "Students in receipt of the latter," he says, "who pass, fail or do not complete the first year of a course, may transfer to a new course without a break in funding." This facility ought to be extended to students in receipt of higher education grants, he argues. This difference between the two schemes is illogical.

"Many students discover in their first year that their choice of course was flawed. Facilitating a second chance would lead to a higher retention rate and such a move would be in line with the practice in many other EU countries." Having children at college is an expensive time for families and many students are forced to take on part-time jobs to help out with the funding. USI's most recent Poverty Survey shows that over half of all third-level students now have part-time jobs.

However, many students are forced to work long hours - practically full-time - to support themselves at college. Inevitably, this affects their studies. Barry Kehoe points out that the way our courses are structured makes paying your way through college a difficult prospect.

Outright failure apart, students who might have gained a first class degree or a 2:1 can end up with a lower grade, which could prove detrimental to their future career or academic prospects. Kehoe argues for grant increases - particularly for people at the lower end of the economic scale. Much of the higher education budget, he argues, represents a massive subsidy to the well-off. "Inclusivity is the biggest issue affecting third level. We have to avoid the income trap. People who are just above the means-test threshold are finding it very difficult to send their children to college."

With a record Exchequer surplus of £5.82 billion at the end of July, the State has never been in a better position to increase maintenance grants.