DCU

While I could have gone to university after I finished my Leaving Certificate in 1988, I chose instead to leave Ireland, work and travel. Now that I have finally landed at university 21 years later I am having a whale of a time on the BSc in Education and Training. Getting adjusted to studying at 3rd level certainly has brought with it great challenges. But by taking it step-by-step and one day at a time I now feel I am getting the maximum academic, personal and social benefits that DCU has to offer.

Gerry Ryan, B.Sc. in Education & Training

DCU offers over 60 Honours degree programmes in the general areas of science, nursing, business, humanities, education, engineering and computing. The best source of information on these courses is our online undergraduate prospectus and our online postgraduate prospectus.

Copies of the prospectus can also be requested (free of charge) from our Registry Office Tel: (01) 700 5338 or email: registry@dcu.ie

Applying

1. Undergraduate Entry
2. Postgraduate Entry

Undergraduate Entry

Mature EU candidates for full-time study should apply to the Central Applications Office (CAO) by the 1st February. Application forms and copies of the CAO Handbook can be obtained from the CAO at Tower House, Eglinton St., Galway, or by telephoning 091 509800. Applications can be made online at www.cao.ie and copies of the Handbook can also be downloaded from the website. Mature applicants to DCU (except those applying for Nursing programmes or Non-EU applicants) must also submit a Mature Applicants Supplementary Information Form directly to the University. Copies can be requested from The Registry by contacting us on +353 (0) 1 7005338 or email: registry@dcu.ie.

In the case of mature applicants, 'other' experience, apart from performance in examinations, is taken into consideration - this may be work experience, further studies, or other such experience deemed to be relevant to the application. Mature applicants are assessed based on their application details and may be called for interview (typically in late May/early June). The university aims to inform applicants of the outcome of their application as soon as possible afterwards, with official offers issued by the Central Applications Office (CAO) in Round 0 in early July.

Application to DCU's part-time undergraduate courses should be made directly to the University. Call the Registry on 01 700 5338 to request a copy.

Non-EU mature applicants for both full-time and part-time study should apply direct to DCU. Please note, however, that non-EU applicants to Nusing programmes should apply through the Central Applications Office (CAO), as outlined above. For mature non-EU applicants, 'other' experience, apart from performance in examinations, can also be taken into consideration. Non-native English speakers will need to provide evidence of their English language competency

In all cases, the University will look for satisfactory evidence of your ability to pursue and get the most out of the programme(s) for which you are applying.

When do I apply?

The closing date for EU applications to full-time programmes is 1st February 2010. Late applications for some programmes are accepted until 1st May 2010 as long as places remain. Please contact the Registry on 01 700 5338 or email: registry@dcu.ie for details. It is not possible to make a late application for Nursing programmes.

Non-EU mature applicants should apply by 15th February. Late applications can be accepted until 1st July, but only while places remain. It is not possible to make a late application for Nursing programmes.

Application deadlines for part-time courses vary, so please check individual online programme listings for details.

Postgraduate Entry

The Postgraduate Applications Centre (PAC) is based in Galway . It is an application centre that provides the facility for applicants to apply online for Postgraduate taught programmes at DCU. There are currently 89 DCU courses available through PAC.

Applicants apply for DCU postgraduate courses online at www.pac.ie . Applicants can apply for up to three programmes when making an application to DCU on PAC. Programmes should be selected in order of preference as sequential processing and assessment of programmes mean that if an applicant is offered their first choice no further assessment of the other programmes is made. The cost of applying is €37 and is a non-refundable fee payable to PAC.

All documentation relevant to the application should be posted to PAC at the following address:

On receipt of the application fee PAC scans all documentation onto the system for review at DCU. Applicants are notified by email as each step of the review route is progressed. It is therefore, imperative that applicants have a secure email account and review it regularly for updates, as no other means of communication between DCU and prospective applicants will be used.

Closing Dates for Applications

EU and Non-EU applications to full-time and part-time postgraduate taught programmes should note that each programme has an initial date indicating when applications should be submitted. Applications may be reviewed before or after the submission date. While initial submission dates are set for all programmes, a faculty may extend these submission dates. Also, some programmes are offered on a modular or web basis so that applications can be taken any time.

Please note that all Postgraduate programmes offered through PAC have entry requirements. In addition to qualifications, some require additional information and applicants are asked to familiarise themselves with their programme(s) of choice before making an application. For details on the current submission dates applicable to postgraduate taught programmes please contact the Registry Office on 01 700 5338 or email: registry@dcu.ie.

Returning education can place a strain on your finances. There are many factors to be considered: rent, bills, food, travel, class materials and more. As a Mature Student, you may be entitled to financial assistance to help you pay for your fees, class materials and other expenses that you encounter during your time here in DCU.

1. DCU Fees Policy
2. Cost of Living and Budget Guide
3. Student Grants
4. Back to Education Allowance: Full Time
5. Back to Education Allowance: Part Time
6. DCU Student Assistance Fund
7. Tax Relief on Tuition Fees

Fees Policy Information

As a full-time Mature Student, you may qualify for the Free Fees Initiative, under which the Irish government will pay the tuition fees for your chosen course. The Free Fees Initiative does not cover the Student Contribution Charge (formerly known as the Registration Fee), however, so you would have to pay this yourself. For the 2011/12 academic year, this charge will be €2000. If you qualify for a Student Grant, the Student Contribution Charge may be paid by your Grant Authority. Please see our Grants section for more information.

Note: The Free Fees Initiative does not apply to postgraduate or part-time programmes.

There are three rates of fees for students attending DCU:

1. Free Fees
2. EU Rate of Fees
3. Special Exemption
4. Non-EU Rate of Fees

If you do not qualify for the Free Fees Initiative, you may be eligible to claim tax back on tuition fees that you have paid - see our Tax Relief page for more details.

Information for special exemption

The following special categories are eligible for EU fees or free fees (i.e. the 3-year rule is waived, all other criteria apply and candidates will need to be assessed)

1. Foreign Diplomats / employees of foreign embassies resident in Ireland and their spouses and children (eligible for EU fees, not free fees)
2. A child of the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs Official on assignment outside the EU (EU fees or Free Fees)
3. A child of an Irish Semi-State Agency Official on assignment outside the EU (EU fees or Free Fees)
4. Irish volunteer development workers or their family who have been on assignments outside the EU. The eligibility of each such workers must be validated by the volunteer agency (EU or Free Fees)
5. Certain UN Officials as approved by the Department of Foreign Affairs (EU or Free Fees)

Where a candidate qualifies as an EU candidate they may be further entitled to qualify under the "Free Tuition" Scheme in operation. EEA/Swiss nationals, who have residency in an EEA country or Switzerland for the requisite period, are regarded as having met the residency requirement of the Free Fees Initiative. Similarly EU nationals resident in EEA/Swiss States for the requisite period are also regarded as having met the residency requirement of the Free Fees Initiative. If you require further information please contact the International Office.

Cost of Living & Budget Guide information

As a Mature Student, you have an advantage over school leavers in that you have most likely already been living independently and have some experience in managing your finances. Nevertheless, budgeting your income as a full-time student may require a little more work. You income may be adversely affected; you may have to learn to adjust your spending habits to accommodate this. The table below is an indicator of the approximate average costs incurred each week, month and academic year by students in Dublin:

Cost of Living for Students in Rented Accommodation 2009/10

How to Budget your Income:

As you can see from the above table, living as a student in Dublin can be quite expensive. In order to manage, the best thing to do is make a budget. This should be based on your income - whether it includes a part-time job, the Higher Education Grant, the Back To Education Allowance or an allowance from your parents where applicable. You should allocate money for essentials such as rent and food first. The Irish National Consumer Agency's website, www.itsyourmoney.ie has a very good budget calculator - using it will help you to determine exactly what you spend each month against your income.

Click here to use the National Consumer Agency's Budget Calculator

Click here to visit the Student Finance page

The Money Advice & Budgeting Service (or MABS) also offers excellent advice on how to manage your finances. It defines exactly what a budget is, how to determine precisely how much you earn and how much your outgoing payments are. It also offers advice on how to maximise your income while keeping your spending to a minimum. Click here to see budgeting advice from MABS

Student Grants Information

Many full-time Mature Students are eligible to apply to their Local Authority (City or County Council) or VEC for a Student Grant to aid them in their studies. Click on the links below to get more information on:

1. What kind of grants are available and which one should you apply for?
2. What category of mature student you come under
3. How to apply
4. Important notes
5. FAQs

There's a lot of information on these pages, which should help answer any queries that you may have. If you're still uncertain, please contact our Access Officer, Orla Conlan on 01 700 8869 or orla.conlan@dcu.ie

What kind of grants are there, and which one should I apply for?

For the 2011/12 Academic Year, the old grants system which was split into the Higher Education Grant, Third Level Training & Maintenance Grant and the VEC Scholarship Grant, has been replaced by a single grant which covers all programmes.

Local Authorities (City/County Councils) or VECs administer the grant and process applications, depending on where you wish to study.

You should apply to your Local Authority if you intend to study at a university, such as DCU.

You should apply to your VEC if you intend to study at an Institute of Technology, such as DIT.

What category of Mature Student do I come under?

There are two distinct categories under which a mature candidate falls: Independent Mature Candidate and Dependent Mature Candidate.

Independent Mature Candidate: for the 2011/12 academic year, this applies to students over the age of 23 on January 1st 2011, and have been independently resident outside of the family home since October 1st 2010 (and can prove it with utility bills etc). Independent Mature Students are means-tested based on their own (and spouse's if applicable) income for the tax year January-December 2010.

Dependent Mature Candidate: for the 2011/12 academic year, this applies to students over the age of 23 on January 1st 2011 who are resident in the family home. Also, the default position of many grant authorities is that if you cannot prove your independence, you will be considered dependent. Dependent Mature Students are means-tested based on their own (and spouse's if applicable) income and their parents' income for the tax year January-December 2010.

How to Apply

For the 2011/12 year, many VECs and Local Authorities are offering an online application system. Check the tables below to see if your Local Authority or VEC accepts online applications. If they do, you'll need to register first before you can start your online application. Click here to register and get started.

The closing date for receipt of applications is the 31st August. If your Local Authority or VEC does not offer an online application system, you will have to download the application form(s), fill them out and post them.

Application Forms for 2011/12 are now available to download at www.studentfinance.ie

Important Notes:

You are not eligible to apply for a Student Grant to study for a qualification at the same level (or lesser) as one you already hold; e.g. if you hold a Level 7 (Ordinary Degree), you are not eligible for a grant to study another Level 7 (or a Level 6), but you may be eligible for a grant to study for a Level 8 (Honours Degree).

This applies regardless of whether or not you were in receipt of a grant for your previous study.

The closing date for the submission of grant applications to your local County/City Council or VEC is the 31st of August each year.

You can apply for a grant before you have been accepted into a programme at DCU, so it's best to apply as soon as possible.

Part-time programmes are not eligible for a grant, nor do they qualify for the Free Fees Initiative.

Recent Changes to Student Grants & Charges:

Several changes were made to the student grants system in the December 2009 and December 2010 budgets. A brief summary of these changes is below.

Changes made in the December 2009 Budget:

1. From the start of the 2010/11 academic year, students in receipt of the BTEA (Back To Education Allowance) are no longer be eligible for the maintenance portion of the Student Grant. Such students should still apply for a grant to pay their Student Contribution Charge (registration fees) (and in some cases, their tuition fees). Any student who, as of the 2009/10 academic year, is currently in receipt of both the BTEA and a Student Grant will be entitled to retain both payments.
2. Some social welfare allowances, including the Back to Education Allowance which had been previously been excluded in the means-testing process, are now included as reckonable income in assessing eligibility for student grants.
3. The residency requirement in the State for grant eligibility has been increased from one year to three out of the past five years for new applicants.
4. The duration of the break in studies required for re-entry as an independently assessed mature student has been increased from one year to three years.

Changes made in the December 2010 Budget:

1. Mature Students no longer automatically entitled to "non-adjacent" rate of maintenance, effective from 2011/12. What this means: Previously, all mature students were entitled to the "non-adjacent" rate of maintenance regardless of how close their residence was to the college. This will change from the start of the 2011/12 academic year. All grant applicants will be assessed based on the distance their residence is from the college. This affects both new applicants and current grant holders.
2. The qualifying distance from the student's home to the college has been increased to 45km (from 24km) in order to qualify for the non-adjacent rate of maintenance, effective from 2011/12. What this means: Previously, if your place of residence was more than 24km from the college, you were entitled to the non-adjacent rate of maintenance. Otherwise you only the got the adjacent rate, which is considerably less. This distance has now been increased to 45km, with effect from the start of the 2011/12 academic year.
3. The Student Services Charge/Capitation Fee/Registration Fee will increase to €2,000 from €1,500. Effective from 2011/12. What this means:Where previously, the fee was €1,500, it will increase to €2,000 for the 2011/12 academic year and become known as the "Student Contribution Charge." If more than one person in a family is in college, it is possible to claim tax relief on the Student Contribution Charge(s) for 2nd and subsequent family members at a rate of 20%. Back to Education Allowance: Full Time Information Back to Education Allowance: Part Time Information DCU Student Assistance Fund Information

Tax Relief on Tuition fees

If you do not qualify for the Free Fees Initiative or a Student Grant, then you may be liable to pay the full Tuition Fees for your programme of study. Tuition Fees do not include the registration fee, which for full time programmes in 2010/11 was €1,500. For the 2011/12 academic year, the registration fee has been re-named the Student Contribution Charge and has been increased to €2,000.

Part Time Programmes

Again, the fees for part time programmes in DCU vary from programme to programme. A full list of part time programmes available at DCU, including the fees for each is available here (link to online prospectus page)

What fees can I claim tax back on?

You can claim tax back on tuition fees. You cannot claim tax back on:

Registration fees/Student Contribution Charge*

Exam Fees

Any fees that are/will be paid by:

1. Grants
2. Scholarships
3. Your employer

Note: The Student Contribution Charge for 2011/12 onwards is €2,000. If more than one person in a family is in college, it is possible to claim tax relief on the Student Contribution Charge(s) for 2nd and subsequent family members at a rate of 20%.

Am I eligible to claim tax back on fees that I have paid?

If you have paid tuition fees for a programme in DCU either on your own behalf or on behalf on someone else (child, relative, spouse), you are eligible to claim tax back.

Which programmes in DCU can I claim tax back on?

You can claim tax back on almost every programme DCU offers, as long as they fulfil the following criteria:

1. Undergraduate Programmes (full & part time): Must be at least 2 years duration
2. Postgraduate Programmes (full & part time): Must be at least 1 but not more than 4 years duration

How much can I claim back?

Tax relief can be claimed on tuition fees of up to €5,000 per year at the standard personal rate, which is currently 20%. For further information please visit the Revenue Commissioners site

How do I claim Tax Relief?

Fill out the IT-31 form online and send it to your local Revenue Office with the following details:

1. Your PPS Number
2. The amount of tuition fees paid
3. The name and address of the individual who paid the fees (i.e. you)
4. The name and address of the student on whose behalf the fees have been paid (i.e. you)
5. The name of the programme you are studying and its duration

You do not have to submit a receipt for the fees that you have paid, but it is worth keeping your receipt from DCU, as it may be requested by the Revenue Office for verification purposes.

For further information on applying or your current application, please contact the Registry Office on 01 700 5338 or email: registry@dcu.ie.

For information on courses or to discuss your options as a mature student, contact Orla Conlan
Access Officer
orla.conlan@dcu.ie
01 700 8869