Written answers
Tuesday, 23 June 2015
Department of Education and Skills
Student Grant Scheme Eligibility
Michelle Mulherin (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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563. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the circumstances under which a 19 year old third level education student, who is living away from the family home, can be regarded as independent of the student's parents for the purposes of the means assessment for Student Universal Support Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25015/15]
Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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For student grants purposes, students are categorised according to their circumstances 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 or she has attained the age of 23 on the 1st of January of the year of first entry to an approved course or of re-entry following a break in studies of at least three years and is not ordinarily resident with his/her parents from the previous October. Otherwise he or she would continue to be assessed on the basis of parental income.
Only in exceptional cases, where compelling evidence of estrangement from parents/guardians is provided, can candidates who are under 23 be assessed without reference to their parents/guardians income or address.
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