Citizens Information Centres (CICs) in Co. Wicklow deal with a lot queries regarding Student Grants.
The Student Grant Scheme is the main financial support scheme for students studying in Ireland and abroad. It is also known as the SUSI grant because the Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) is the awarding authority for the Student Grant Scheme.
Student grants are divided into two main areas:
Maintenance grants that help students with their living costs and Fee grants that pay tuition fees for students who do not qualify for the ‘Free Fees Scheme’. Fee grants can also pay the Student Contribution and the cost of essential field trips.
To qualify for a student grant, you must meet all the conditions of the scheme. These include:
· Nationality condition
· Residence condition
· Means test
· Approved course of study: you must be attending an approved course of study
· Progression: you must be progressing from your previous level of study
· Maximum period of grant assistance
How to apply:
The student grant application process opens to all applicants from Thursday, 28 April 2022. If you are already getting a student grant, you can submit a renewal application from 10 March 2022.
Martina Cronin, Development Manager, South Leinster Citizens Information Service/Co. Wicklow says that ‘the service has been dealing with Student Grant queries over the years and we are always here to answer any queries you may have regarding student grants’.
Funded by the Citizens Information Board , the range of areas covered by the CIS are extremely wide including social welfare rights and entitlements and other social issues such as employment, health services, housing, education, family matters and consumer rights on which people need access to information.
A growing number of customers require in-depth assistance and CIS plays an important role in providing advocacy with, or on behalf of, those people who need it, including people with disabilities, migrants, refugees, lone parents, the Travelling Community, prisoners, geographically isolated people and those who may not have access to digital resources. Basically, anyone working or living in County Wicklow who has an issue that needs addressing or is at a crossroads in their lives.
To find out our opening hours or if you would like us to address a specific query or to book an appointment with a member of our team please contact your local Citizens Information Centre in Bray CIC on 0818 07 6780. We are available from Monday to Friday and our services are free and confidential.
