Bank Loans: 

DIT's College Bank, Allied Irish Bank offer a range of options tailored specially for AIB Student Plus Account holders (and their parents) to help finance their College life.

 Applicants must:

• Be a third level student in full time education.
• Have an AIB Student Plus Account.
• Be 18 or over.

 If you have questions, need more information, or simply want to talk to one of the AIB team, you can:

• Contact the AIB dedicated Student Centre 1890 788 336 (8am to 9pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 6pm on Saturdays).
• Call into any AIB branch and ask to speak with one of the AIB Student Officers.

All queries regarding a students suitability for a loan should be directed to AIB - College Finance for Students 

 

Credit Union Loans:

The Credit Union also provide a students loans service you can find more information about this at the link below: 

http://www.creditunion.ie/studentloans/

SUSI - Student Universal Support Ireland: 

SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland) is the single national Awarding Authority for all new student grant applications. Applications for Student Grants are assessed under the criteria set out in the Student Support Act 2011, Student Support Regulations and the Student Grant Scheme.

Decisions on grants are made wholly by SUSI, DIT have no input into grant decisions.  

For further infomation and how to apply click here  Please ensure you are familiar with cutoff dates for grant applications.   

 

REGISTERING WITH DIT IF YOU HAVE MADE AN APPLICATION TO SUSI:

1.          So how does this fit in with the DIT on-line registration process?

If you have received, an invitation to register you can go on-line immediately and register without full grant approval.  You will need your application number and the date you made your application in-order to register online.

Students awaiting a full decision on their grant will not be required to pay fees at this point.

2.       How do I do this?

You can do this by logging on to the register and pay website at: http://www.dit.ie/studentservices/registration/registerpay/

You should move through the registration process as normal. When you reach the page titled: 

DIT Online- Payment and Registration Options, select the grey box marked provide grant detail and enter the detail requested: 

  a.) Date you applied for Grant

  b.) Name of Grant Authority

  c.) Application number

Click “Confirm”, you are now registered in full and will have access to DIT services.

3.       Am I still responsible to ensure my fees are paid by SUSI?

Students are responsible for making sure their fees are paid in full.  You should continue to liaise with SUSI to ensure your application is processed in a timely manner.  You can log onto SUSI.ie  or e-mail support@susi.ie  to check on progress of your grant application.  Susi also have a facebook page where they answer queries.

It is important to note if a decision is not made on your grant application by 1^st Dec annually you will be required to pay a minimum of 50% of the outstanding fee.  

Full fees must be paid no later than 31^st of January annually.

4.       What happens when SUSI write to me to advise I am entitled to the grant?

SUSI will write to you to confirm you have been awarded a grant.  Please pay close attention to the wording and the amount indicated on your award letter.  In some instances a 100% fee award may NOT always mean the full fee liability will be covered by SUSI – this is usually in the case where a student has some previous study.  The student will then be liable for any remaining outstanding fees and should have it paid within the timeframes outlined above.

SUSI will contact DIT directly to confirm you have been awarded a grant.  Once the student has registered DIT will then apply this grant to the student record and confirm to SUSI the student is registered and attending classes.

DIT will invoice for fees due from SUSI in due course.

If you are unsuccessful in your grant application, you become immediately liable to pay half your fees and should do so by logging on to our register and pay system. 

Further information on the SUSI process is available on the FAQ section of the SUSI Website.

 

You will be require to apply for a renewal of your Grant each year. 

When you are applying to get your grant renewed you will be requested by grant authorities to provide evidence that you are eligible to re-register on your programme. You should present to the relevant grant awarding body your “web registration email” which will be sent to your DIT student email account from mid August annually.

Many Full Time students attending DIT are eligible for assistance with the Student Contribution Charge and Tuition fees.  A number of schemes exist and more detailed information can be found by clicking on the links below:

• Grant Schemes - Full Time Level 6, 7, 8 & 9 Programmes
• Back to Education Allowance (BTEA) - All Full Time Programmes ‌‌ 

f you are in receipt of a TLT Maintenance Grant (Level 6 and 7 Programmes only - i.e. Higher Certificate, Certificate, Ordinary Level Degree), you must ensure that:

• You have registered for your Programme through the Web Registration system
• You have updated your Bank Account details through the Web Registration system
• You have submitted your Letter of Award from your Awarding Body (VEC or Local Authority)to your Student Service Centre or Fees Office as soon as you receive it to allow us update your grant record (if we don't have your letter we still think you owe us fees!)

The TLT Maintenance Grant process must comply with strict cut-off dates which will affect your payments. 

The Higher Education Grants Scheme covers Level 8- Honours Degree and Level 9 - Postgraduate Awards.  Level 8 programmes are included in the Free Fees Scheme.  Level 9 Programmes are not included in the Free Fees Scheme.

If you are in receipt of a Higher Education Grant , you must ensure that:

• You have registered for your programme through the Web Registration system  
• You have submitted your Letter of Award from your Awarding Body (VEC or Local Authority) to your Student Service Centre or Fees and Income Office as soon as you receive it to allow us update your grant record (if we don't have your letter we still think you owe us fees!)
• You have paid the Balance, if any owed, on your tuition fee (Level 9 Awards only where grant does not cover Full Tuition amount)

Higher Education Grants are either:

Paid directly to a student's bank account by the Awarding Body OR  Sent by Cheque to DIT to be distributed to students

Students being paid by cheque will be advised by email (to their DIT student email account) when their cheque is available for collection. If you have not received an email from DIT, we have not received a cheque from your Awarding Body and you should contact them directly with any queries. Please note that in order to receive your cheque you must ensure that we have received and processed your grant award letter. It is the students responsibility to ensure that they send this letter to the correct DIT centre(Student Service office /Fees & Income office) each year. Cheques will not be released to students who have not provided award letters.

DIT recognises that some students may face financial difficulties during their time at college and a number of assistance schemes are in place to support such students. The schemes are funded by the Department of Education and Science under the National Development Plan with assistance from the European Social Fund.  

Funding is available to full time DIT students, but cannot be used for the purpose for Registration or tuition fees. The scheme is designed to help those in severe financial difficulties due to unforeseen circumstances or students who are disadvantaged and require additional financial support to continue their third-level studies.

Students who are not entitled to a SUSI grant may apply for The Student Assistance Fund where parental income criterion applies.

There are several schemes under the Student Assistance Fund. Each scheme has certain criteria and opening and closing dates vary according to the scheme. Please click here for further information

What is the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF)?

The EGF was established by the European Union (EU) in 2006 to enable EU Member States to provide programmes of assistance to workers who were made redundant as a result of major structural changes in world trade patterns due to globalisation. Globalisation can usually be demonstrated by an increase in imports into the EU for a given sector or the loss in EU market share for a given sector or by delocalisation of work activity to non-EU countries. Under certain circumstances, redundancies as a result of a global economic and financial crisis, may also qualify for support from the EGF.

In general, EGF support may be provided in the event of at least 500 redundancies at either a given enterprise over a 4-month reference period or in a specific economic sector over a 9-month reference period.

What does the EGF do?

The EGF provides a co-financing contribution to EU Member States to provide a personalized package of programmes and services to workers to help them return to employment. Programmes may include career advice and guidance, training courses, further and higher education programmes and enterprise/start your own business supports. Supports may be provided through both normal mainstream programmes and new customized programmes. EGF training grants may be available in respect of accredited education or training courses of a duration of 10 weeks or more. The EU currently contributes up to 60% of the cost of an approved EGF programme with the remaining 40% paid by national funding sources.

How does the EGF work? Can an individual or company apply for assistance from the EGF?

Individuals and companies cannot apply directly for financial assistance from the EGF. Applications for funding can only be made by the designated Competent Authority in an EU Member State. In Ireland, the responsible authority is the EGF Managing Authority in the Department of Education and Skills.

The EGF Managing Authority in the Department of Education and Skills closely monitors mass redundancy announcements nationwide with a view to submitting applications for EGF support where deemed sustainable.

Having assessed conformity with the relevant EU legislation and obtained the approval of the Minister for Skills, Research and Innovation to proceed, the EGF Managing Authority having duly consulted with relevant stakeholders and collated  the relevant supporting data required, may submit an application for co-funding support from the EGF to the European Commission.

The European Commission assesses the EGF application, seeking clarification as required, and if satisfied submits the application to the European Parliament and European Council for approval. The whole process between EGF application submission and approval takes several months.

EGF programmes are implemented over a period of 24 months from the date of submission of the EGF application. An EGF final report and expenditure statements showing programme results and outcomes is then submitted within a further 6 months by the EGF Managing Authority to the European Commission.

Who is eligible for support from EGF?

Only those individuals included in a successful application for EGF support submitted by the Department of Education and Skills can avail of support under an EGF programme. Such eligible individuals include:

• Affected workers at the main enterprise
• Affected workers at suppliers to the main enterprise
• In certain circumstances, Persons Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEETs) who have been identified by the Department of Social Protection.

Eligible individuals are notified of their eligibility by the SOLAS EGF National Coordination Unit.

I was made redundant recently, how can I apply?

Only those individuals included in a successful application for EGF support submitted by the Department of Education and Skills can avail of support. Such eligible individuals are notified of their eligibility by the EGF Coordination Unit at the start of an EGF programme.