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The full maintenance grant for a student living away from home currently stands at £1,653 or £45.89 a week based on an eight and a half month academic year. Students living less than 25 miles from college are en-titled to an adjacent rate of £660 a year or £18.33 per week. Grants are increased annually in line with the cost of living - but don't hold your breath. In 1997 the full maintenance grant was increased by 77p a week, while the adjacent grant went up by just 36p a week.

Each year, Barry Kehoe, director of student services at DCU, publishes figures on the cost of going to college. He estimates that the true annual cost in attending third level is in the region of £4471, for a student living away from home. The grant, he says, cover only 37% of the cost of a student living away from home and 27% for a student living at home.

Increasingly, the grant pays only the rent. "Dublin student are paying around £45 a week in rent, " comments Glenn Mehta, president of Tallaght IT's student union. He argues in favour of extra funding for students attending college in high-rent areas-and it's not only students in Dublin who are affected. In Limerick, for example, rents are escalating. Here, you can expect to pay between £30 and £40 a week, according to Tara McCabe, UL's student union welfare officer.

Reckonable income limits for grants 1998-99

Number of Children	Full maint. and fees*	50% maint. and full fees*	Full fees only*	50% fees only*
Fewer than 4	£18,308	£19,525	£21,971	£23,189
4 to 7	£20,139	£21,357	£23,798	£25,021
8 or more	£21,971	£23,189	£25,630	£26,853

*The free-fees scheme doesn't apply for all courses listed in the CAO handbook.

Higher Education Grants
Applicants should apply through his or her County Council or Corporation. They are available for all eligible Leaving Cert. students, mature students- third-level allowance students, students studying abroad and others who are entering approved courses at undergraduate level for the first time in the academic year that they apply for a grant. To qualify for a grant, candidates must fulfil the conditions of residence, age, academic attainments, means and nationality. Grant applications must be made on the official application form, available from the Local Authority, to arrive not later than mid July. The Local Authority may accept a late application at its own discretion. Late applicants may have their applications processed and will be put at the end of the queue, how-ever they will be awarded a grant later than everyone else.

VEC Grants
Candidates should apply to the relevant V EC, who will assess him or her for grant aid. The Local Authorities or VEC administer the scheme, on behalf of the department, for eligible students attending approved third-level institutions- Scholarships are available for full-lime undergraduate courses in third-level institutions in the 15 Member States Applications must be made on the official application form available from the VEC. The completed form must reach the VEC not later than the 12th of July, The VEC may accept a late application at its own discretion. Late applicants may have their applications processed and be awarded a grant from the start of the following year of his or her course.