Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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134. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if a student who was classed as a dependant mature student for the academic year 2012/13 and did not qualify for a grant under the student grant scheme and who has been living independently since September/October 2012 and wish to continue their studies, be now treated as an independent mature student; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31419/13]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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For student grants purposes, a student is defined at their first point of entry to an approved post leaving certificate course or an approved higher education course or at their point of re-entry to such an approved course. This status will continue to apply for the duration of their studies either as students dependent on parents or a legal guardian, or as independent mature students.

A student may be assessed as an independent mature student if he/she has attained the age of 23 on the 1st of January of the year of first entry to an

approved post leaving certificate course or an approved higher education course or of re-entry to an approved course following a break in studies of at least three years and is not ordinarily resident with his/her parents from the previous 1 October. Otherwise he/she would continue to be assessed on the basis of his/her parents' income.