PLC Course- Mature Student to get full grant?

Hi, my friend is thinking of returning to full-time college to do Nursing. However, so far he hasn't been offered a place through CAO. He has been told about a PLC Pre-Nursing full-time FETAC course that he could do this year which would help his chances next year.

My question is: Considering that he is from the town that the course is in and provided that he qualifies financially for the grant, will he get full maintenance? Cos i know that if your under 23 yrs and attending a course under 15 miles from your home, that you only get pretty much HALF the grant? Does this count for mature students? Basically he will be doing the course in the town he comes from.. Any advice appreciated.. Thanks!

There doesn't seem to be anything on this point in the notes I linked to in this previous thread. If your friend doesn't want to 'declare his hand' to the local authority, so to speak, a 'phone call to the grants officer of any third-level institution should clarify the matter.

Found this list of links online. The [broken link removed]is about who is suitable for PLC courses while the second has quite a comprehensive list of links to information about [broken link removed]. Hope it is of some help.

The maintenance grant is on a sliding scale. The point of the scale awarded depends on income during the previous year (i.e up to 31/12/05). Different rates are also paid for those living 15 miles or less from your college (the 'adjacent rate') and more than 15 miles from college (the 'non-adjacent rate').

To answer your question: the same rules apply in relation to the adjacent rate, regardless of the fact that your friend is a mature student. The fact that your friend is a mature student usually means that the income assessed is the student's own income. In the case of a student going straight to college from the Leaving Cert, the income of the parents / guardians is assessed.

Check out the following link for some more information on the maintenance grant:


Your friend should also check to see if the Millennium Partnership Fund operates in his/her area. This is a special fund to support students going to third level, but only operates in certain targeted areas. A list of areas where the fund operates can be found on the following link:
http://www.pobal.ie/media/milleniumpartnership.pdf