Other funding sources
St. Vincent De Paul
Saint Vincent de Paul has an education fund which you can apply for if you are returning to education. The grant does not apply to private colleges or training centres and will not be an option for those who already hold a degree or post-graduate qualifications. The amount awarded will vary depending on your individual circumstances and grants are awarded to those deemed to be most in need. You can contact your local SVP office and ask for further details on applying for this grant.
Bursaries and Scholarships
There are a broad range of bursary and scholarship schemes in operation which provide an opportunity for you to access additional financial support if you meet the criteria. In particular, Uversity and the 1916 Bursary have a specific allocation of funding available for lone parents.
Student Assistance Fund
Once you start a course you may be able to apply for the Student Assistance Fund which provides financial support to full or part-time students who are experiencing financial difficulties while attending college. Students can apply for the Student Assistance Fund to help with either temporary or ongoing financial difficulties. The Student Assistance Fund is designed to provide a source of financial support in addition to a SUSI grant.
You will find an overview of financial supports available for education on the Higher Education Authority’s website.
Tax Relief on Education Fees
You may be eligible to claim tax relief on qualifying fees (including the student contribution) that you have paid for third level education courses. The qualifying fees must be paid for an approved course at an approved college. The maximum amount you can claim is €7,000 per course, per person, per academic year.
You may be the student, or you may pay the fees on behalf of someone else like your child, friend or relative. However, you can only claim the relief if you are the person who actually paid the fees.
The standard rate of tax relief is 20%. It is not possible to claim relief for fees that are funded by grants, scholarships or your employer. Any partial funding received towards course fees must be declared to Revenue when claiming relief. Relief can be claimed for the cost of one approved course per person in a tax year.
Funding to support Care Leavers and members of the Traveller and Roma Communities to access third level education
In November 2023, the Minister for Further and Higher Education announced plans to provide funding to cover campus accommodation costs for young adults leaving the care system and Traveller and Roma communities.
It was also announced that funding has been secured for an apprenticeship scheme for this group. This will provide a student in care and members of the Traveller and Roma Communities, who wish to choose an apprenticeship, with access to financial support worth up to €3,000.
You will find an overview of financial supports available for education on the Higher Education Authority’s website.
Last modified: 6th February 2024
Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) Student Grant Scheme
The student grant is the main source of financial help available from the Irish State for students in full-time Post Leaving Certificate Courses (PLCs) and full-time higher education undergraduate courses. Support is available to eligible students in approved PLC centres, colleges and universities in Ireland.
For eligible students; the grant is there to help with the various costs of participating in further or higher education. Part-time courses are not currently covered by the student grant scheme. Eligibility for a student grant will depend on your income and other deciding factors such as whether you live with your parents or live independently.
The grant is composed of two parts:
- Fee Grant – may contribute towards all or part of the student contribution, essential field trips and/or all or part of the tuition fees not covered by the Free Fees Scheme*.
- Maintenance grant – this is a contribution towards a student’s cost of living whilst studying at undergraduate level. It is not payable in the instance where a person is receiving Back to Education Allowance from the Department of Social Protection.
If you think you are eligible for the student grant, you should apply for it as soon as possible. You do not have to wait until you receive an offer of a place or enrol in college. The amount you receive will depend on your income in the year prior to application unless there has been a significant change to your circumstances since then.
Full details on the Student Grant Scheme are available on www.susi.ie
Education and Training Resources
- The Qualifax website is a good source of information on available courses. If you are thinking about going back to education but you are not sure what courses are available this can be a good first step.
- The Careers Portal website allows you to search for available course and offers help and information on different career options.
- One Step Up is a website that promotes access to learning for adults. It has a calendar of education events, such as college open days as well as an interactive tool to identify options for learning, according to your profile and needs as well as information on local education services.
- Your local Education and Training board (ETB) will also have information on courses and options available to you. Contact your local ETB for further information.
- You can also contact your local Intreo office or Employment Services Office (formerly FAS offices) to arrange a guidance interview and to get information on courses, most of which are free of charge.
- The Adult Educational Guidance Services (AEGS) provide impartial careers and education information to adults who wish to return to education and training or are already registered on a further education and training programme within the ETBs – to make informed educational, career and life choices.
- Aontas, the national adult learning network, has a good information booklet on education and training for adults that you can download from their website.
- NALA (National Adult Literacy Agency) has free help available to you if you need some help improving your reading, writing or maths. You may get some help on a one to one basis, in groups or there is the option of on-line learning at home. For more information you can call 1800 20 20 65 or take a look at their website.
- The Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science have developed a series of helpful resources about education and training.
Education & Training Programmes
One Family Employability Programmes
The One Family Programmes Service provides adult education and training to people parenting alone or sharing parenting. The service aims to develop and provide a range of best practice programmes that empower people to take the next steps into education or work. Our free education programmes – New Steps and New Futures will give you the confidence, skills and support you need to progress to education and employment. All participants will have access to regular one to one support from their key worker.
Skillnet
Skillnet Ireland enhances the skills and employability of learners, leading to increased career mobility and greater life opportunities. Skillnet Ireland is committed to supporting learners at all levels in the workforce, from managers to business owners, and from employees to people seeking employment.
Skillnet recognise that many adult learners have a strong desire to develop through work-related experiences. Their programmes offer the opportunity to learn through an approach that reflects the real world of work, and the mutual needs of enterprise and learners.
Skills Connect
Skills Connect is designed in partnership with enterprise to enhance cross-sector employability and support people who have lost their jobs. These bespoke upskilling and training solutions, designed by enterprise, are aimed at supporting your re-entry into the workforce.
Skills Connect offers free online training programmes and enterprise-led virtual job placements to jobseekers looking for new jobs and careers. This valuable initiative offers individuals the opportunity to develop new skills or reskill, build confidence and access practical on-the-job training.
Springboard+
The target groups for Springboard+ part-time courses are people who have lost their jobs and are now unemployed and who need to up-skill or re-skill to help them to regain employment in the future. Springboard offers courses at Certificate, Degree and Masters level, in areas where there are employment opportunities. Most of the courses are part time hours so you can keep your current social welfare payment while you attend the course. If you wish to pursue an ICT skills conversion course offered on a full time basis you may be able to transfer to the Back to Education Allowance. All courses lead to qualifications in enterprise sectors which are growing and need skilled personnel, including information and communications technology (ICT); manufacturing; international financial services; and key skills for enterprise to trade internationally. Qualifications are also available in cross-enterprise skills such as innovation, enterprise/entrepreneurship, digital marketing, and project management. To be eligible for a part time Springboard course you must be a jobseeker in receipt of one of the following payments; Jobseekers (Allowance or Benefit), One Parent Family Payment, Disability Allowance, Carer’s Allowance, Blind Pension, Widow’s Pension or Deserted Wives Allowance. You are also eligible if you were previously self-employed, signing for credits or on a government employment programme.
Apprenticeships
Education, Training and Development Option
The Education, Training and Development Option (ET&D) allows you to keep your Jobseeker’s Allowance or Benefit payment while taking part in a shorter duration course. These include personal development courses, basic education, such as literacy classes, general training courses and training for specific job skills.
Part-Time Education Option
The Part-Time Education Option (PTEO) allows you to keep your Jobseeker’s Allowance or Benefit while you attend a part-time day, evening, distance or online education or training course.
The Part-Time Education Option is also available if you are getting a COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP), without affecting your weekly payment.
Part-time courses provided such as those from Education and Training Boards (ETBs), Springboard+, Skillnet’s Skills Connect course and others are available through this option.
Training Support Grant
If you have a skills gap that could prevent you from applying for a job, the Training Support Grant (TSG) funds quick access to short-term training if you are on a jobseekers payment – including Jobseeker’s Allowance, Jobseeker’s Benefit or the COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP).
A grant of up to €1,000 is available towards the cost of your course where similar courses are not currently available free of charge from other programmes and agencies such as SOLAS or the Education and Training Boards (ETBs).
Education and Training Programmes
In recent years there have been developments in Government funded courses designed to assist people who are unemployed back into the workforce. Your local Education and Training Board may have free courses available if you are not currently working. These include day courses, night courses, online training courses and blended learning courses. The courses are available under either the Traineeship Programme or Specific Skills training. A Further Education and Training Allowance may be paid for the duration of your course instead of your social welfare payment. You may also be able to avail of extra allowances towards meals, travel costs or accommodation costs if you need to live away from home while you attend the course.
Subsidised childcare may be available under the National Childcare Scheme.The NCS provides financial support to help parents to meet the costs of childcare.
You can contact your local Intreo centre to discuss your options and find out what courses are available in your area. You will be interviewed to identify a course that will best suit your needs and personal circumstances.
- Information on the location and contact details of your local Intro or social welfare office.
- Search through available courses on the Qualifax and ETB websites.
The following education and training programmes are aimed at supporting people who are not in employment to gain new skills and update their training and education to assist in finding future employment opportunities.
HEAR admissions scheme for students from disadvantaged backgrounds
What is the HEAR scheme?
The Higher Education Access Route (HEAR) is an admissions scheme for students from socially disadvantaged backgrounds.
You must be under 23 years of age on the 1st of January of the year the course starts. You may qualify as a parent who is applying for education courses or one of your children may qualify.
The scheme aims to improve access to college for school-leavers from socio-economic backgrounds that are under-represented in third-level education. Under the HEAR scheme, a number of third-level places are allocated to school-leavers on a reduced points basis. To be eligible for the scheme you must meet certain criteria related to your financial, social and cultural circumstances.
You can find details of the places available through HEAR on the websites of the participating third-level colleges.
If you get a place through HEAR you will also be offered a range of supports such as study skills and mentoring. The supports available will vary from college to college.
How do I apply?
To get a college place under the HEAR scheme you must apply online through the CAO
Further information
DARE admissions scheme for students with disabilities or specific learning difficulties
What is the DARE scheme?
The Disability Access Route to Education (DARE) supports students with disabilities or specific learning difficulties to access college, by allocating a number of third-level places to them on a reduced points basis.
You must be under 23 years of age on the 1st of January of the year the course starts. You may qualify as a parent who is applying for education courses or one of your children may qualify.
You must also provide information about your disability and how it has affected your education.
You can find details of the places available through DARE on the websites of the participating third-level colleges.
If you get a place through DARE you will also be offered a range of supports such as study skills and mentoring. The supports available will vary from college to college.
Whether you apply for college through DARE or through the standard CAO procedure, there are supports for student with disabilities while they are at college.
The Association for Higher Education Access and Disability (AHEAD) also has information about access services in colleges as well as other student services.
How do I apply?
To get a college place under the DARE scheme you must apply online through the CAO.
Financial Supports for Education
SUSI
Other Funding Sources
Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme (VTOS)
The Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme (VTOS) is available to you if you are over 21 years old and have been receiving a social welfare payment for the last six months. Time spent on Jobseekers, One Parent Family Payment, Disability Allowance and Invalidity Pension can count towards the six months needed to qualify. The VTOS scheme is designed to offer you training that will help you gain employment or pursue further education or training in the future.
The courses are up to two years in duration but may be shorter. The hours are full time, usually around thirty hours per week. Many of these courses are certified at QQI levels 3, 4, 5 and 6. You can also study for your Junior Certificate or Leaving Certificate and there is a wide choice of subjects and courses available. The college allocates which courses are eligible for VTOS. If you are in receipt of a social welfare payment, such as the One Parent Family Payment then you will continue to get your payment in the normal way.
If you gain a VTOS place then you can hold onto the secondary benefits such as Rent Supplement, HAP, Fuel Allowance and your medical card while you are on VTOS. VTOS courses do not have fees and you will also have access to free books and materials at the start of the course. There may also be a small allowance for a meal and travel during the course.
In terms of childcare, subsidies may be available under the National Childcare Scheme. The usual procedure when you apply for a place on the course is that you also apply for a VTOS place by completing a VTOS application. It is often just before the start of the academic year, so usually September, before you will be informed of whether you have a VTOS place.
Back to Education Allowance
What is the Back to Education Allowance?
The Back to Education Allowance (BTEA) is a financial support allowance available to people receiving certain social welfare payments for specified periods of time.
Your choice of course must be full-time to be considered for the BTEA.
How do I qualify?
To avail of BTEA you must be at least 21 years of age, or 24 for third level post-graduate course. If you already have an undergraduate degree, then only Higher Diploma courses or Graduate Diploma in Education (NFQ Level 8) can be followed under Back to Education Allowance. You must have been accepted onto a qualifying course which means they must lead to a Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) accreditation.
You must be receiving a social welfare payment;
- for the last three months for second level courses
- And for the last nine months for third level courses.
Time spent on one of the payments below can count towards this qualifying period;
- Jobseeker’s Allowance,
- One Parent Family Payment,
- Jobseeker’s Transition,
- Carer’s Allowance,
- Widow’s Pension or
- Disability Allowance
Other ways you may qualify for BTEA:
- Time spent in Direct Provision or on other social welfare payments or schemes may also help you to qualify. You can check with your local Intreo office if you are not sure.
- If you are aged between 18 and 20 and have been receiving One-Parent Family Payment for the required length of time, and out of education for 2 years, you may also qualify.
- Likewise, if you receive Disability Allowance and are aged 18 or over and receive the payment for the required time, you will also qualify for the Back to Education Allowance.
If I receive the BTEA, will I get to keep my secondary benefits?
If you qualify you may also keep your entitlement to secondary benefits such as the
- Fuel Allowance,
- Rent Supplement or
- Housing Assistance Payment
but any increase in income could affect your entitlement, such as earnings from part-time work while you study.
Am I better off staying on my existing payment?
There are several factors to consider when considering applying for BTEA.
If you are getting One-Parent Family Payment, Disability Allowance, Invalidity Pension or Illness Benefit, you will need to consider whether it is more beneficial for you to apply for the BTEA when you go back to education or to remain on your current payment and apply for a SUSI Student Maintenance Grant.
You have two options in this instance, and you need to work out which will be more beneficial for you financially:
- Staying on Existing Payment
- You can stay on your One-Parent Family Payment or the Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment and apply for a SUSI student maintenance grant. If you choose this option, you will continue to get your One-Parent Family Payment or the Jobseeker’s Transitional payment at your current rate and may qualify for the student grant. However, you may lose any secondary benefits you are getting such as Rent Supplement.
- If you are nearing the end of your entitlement to One-Parent Family Payment or Jobseeker’s Transitional payment, the BTEA may be of greater benefit to you because it is paid for the duration of your course.
- Transfer to BETA
- You can transfer from your One-Parent Family Payment or the Jobseeker’s Transitional payment to the BTEA. If you choose this and you qualify for BTEA, you will not get the maintenance part of the SUSI student grant, but you must still apply to be assessed for the fee component of the student grant, covering the student contribution and tuition fees, if applicable.
- Your rate of payment on BTEA will be the same as the rate of One-Parent Family Payment or Jobseeker’s Transitional payment you were getting and you can keep any secondary benefits you may be getting, including Rent Supplement or the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP).
- Income from paid, part-time employment while you are studying may affect your BTEA. BTEA is means tested in the same way as other qualifying payments such as for One-Parent Family Payment and the Jobseeker’s Transitional payment, which means the first €165 of income from work is disregarded. Income from work will also be means tested for secondary benefits such as Rent Supplement or HAP.
Other factors to consider:
- If you are receiving Jobseeker’s Benefit or Jobseeker’s Allowance, you must apply for and receive the BTEA if you wish to keep a social welfare payment when you go back to education.
- If you are receiving the Jobseeker’s Transitional payment, you can stay on this payment while in full-time education, and also apply for both the student maintenance grant and fees grant.
- However, if you are also living in private rented accommodation and receiving Rent Supplement, you cannot engage in full time education and continue to receive this payment unless you apply for and receive the Back to Education Allowance. Your housing type may also impact on your decision if you are getting a One-Parent Family Payment, especially if you are living in private rented accommodation and are in receipt of Rent Supplement. This restriction does not apply if you are receiving the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) to help with rental costs. People in receipt of HAP can engage in full time education and stay on One-Parent Family Payment or Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment if that is more beneficial than applying for BTEA.
Further & Higher Education Supports
Going back to education can be an exciting but daunting prospect as a lone parent as you will want to make sure you have the time, finances and supports to make it work for you and your family.
Once you have identified the area of study that interests you then you may want to start researching the options available to you. Many colleges and universities have open days so that you can plan a visit and often get to talk to staff and students.
Some colleges and universities have access programmes aimed at mature students (over the age of 23) that provide an opportunity to get a taste of higher education and support to make subject choices at the next stage. These programmes are usually aimed at people who, for a variety of reasons, have not had access to higher education opportunities.
The next stage is to make applications for your chosen courses directly with the college or via the CAO system, if you are applying for an undergraduate degree in a higher education institution.
Financial supports whilst studying are an important factor. If this is your first time entering higher education, then you may be eligible for the Free Fees Scheme for your chosen course which will cover tuition costs.
The Free Fees Scheme applies to those who meet the residence, national and immigration status and the course requirements. In general terms this applies to being a full-time, first-time student in an approved college of education, university or institute of technology. It does not apply to private colleges or part time courses.
Daily living expenses may be met via a social welfare payment, such as the Back to Education Allowance if you are living in private rented accommodation and receiving Rent Supplement. If you rent your home from the local authority or a housing association or are in receipt of Housing Assistance Payment then you may be able to remain on an existing payment such as One-Parent Family Payment or Jobseeker’s Allowance transitional payment and claim a maintenance grant from SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland), which may help towards extra education costs.
You will find further information below on supports available.
Back to Education Allowance
Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme
Financial Supports for Education
HEAR Scheme
DARE Scheme
Education
