Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)

Students entering postgraduates courses who meet the qualifying conditions for the special rate of grant will be eligible to have their postgraduate tuition fees paid up to the maximum fee limit of €6,270 under the student grant scheme. In addition, a limited number of students who would previously have qualified under the standard grant thresholds will qualify for a €2,000 contribution towards the costs of their fees. The new income threshold for this payment is €31,500 for the 2012-13 academic year, increasing relative to the number of family dependants. Maintenance payments beyond these levels of fee support will not be provided. Postgraduate students continuing on their existing courses will not be affected by these changes. A number of financial institutions offer loans for postgraduate studies.

See this speech in context