College can be expensive, if you’re experiencing financial difficulty there are a number of avenues to explore, which I can help you navigate! 

• Short-term loan, up to €100 tax free
• T-Fund, for social transitions of transgender students
• International Fund

Check susi.ie or studentfinance.ie for eligibility information.

These funds are set aside for students in financial need. Allowances are allocated on a case-by-case basis. TAP/HEAR students should contactThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Non-TAP/HEAR students should contact their tutor or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

If you receive financial assistance from the college in the current academic year, you may be entitled to a Student Levy Charger Waiver. You can only claim the waiver for the current academic year and must apply before the last day of Hilary Term. More information can be found on the Senior Tutor’s website.

There are a number of benefactions, bursaries and prizes which you may be eligible for/ a list of these and their criteria is available atwww.tcd.ie/seniortutor

College costs can add up, so it’s important to budget your money. A budget is a simple exercise when you sit down and work out what income you will have over a period of time, such as the academic year, and what costs you will incur in this time. Ideally, you want your income to be greater than costs.

Top Tips:

• Know your number: be aware of how much you need to spend every month. Try to keep luxuries to a minimum, avoid unnecessary expenses and build good financial habits early on.
• Use your student discount: take full advantage of student deals and discounts - keep an eye on the SU email for exclusive TCDSU deals.
• Be prepared: make some packed lunches, plan how much money you want to spend on nights out, and make a habit of checking your bank balance regularly.
• Check outwww.mabs.ie for advice on building a budget that works for you!

Financial Assistance and Childcare

Student Assistance Fund / Student Hardship Fund / Benefactions

The financial support available in college are the Student Hardship Fund, the Student Assistance Fund and childcare bursaries. They are administered by the Senior Tutor's Office. Claure Laudet, your tutor, is away until mid-August but it would be worth giving the office a call and asking about your eligibility for one of these supports so you can plan ahead. Their office number is + 353 1 896-2551. These funds are issued internally by the Senior Tutor’s Office in TCD. The Student Assistance Fund is a European funded initiative and the Harship Fund is an internal college financial assistance fund. The application process for both forms of financial assistance is the same.

You can read more information on the funds here: http://www.tcd.ie/Senior_Tutor/Financial%20Assistance/

You can download the application form here:

https://docs.google.com/a/tcdsu.org/forms/d/1Am3URh-0AwNigHkx4F9xNSwyKDWM0K0PYjtwEvzgzgU/viewform

https://www.tcd.ie/Senior_Tutor/forms/ESF%20Budget%202014_2015.xlsx

https://www.tcd.ie/Senior_Tutor/pdf/ESF%20receipts%2012-13.pdf

It may be useful to meet with the Undergraduate Support Officer, Helen Richardson, in the Senior Tutor’s Office to discuss whether or not it would be worthwhile applying. You can contact her on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 01-8961905

A number of Benefactions (bursaries/grants) are available to students in specific circumstances e.g. on the basis of course, gender, background. It may be useful to browse the available benefactions through this link:

http://www.tcd.ie/calendar/assets/pdf/archive/2012-2013/tcd-calendar-t-financial-assistance.pdf

Student Union's Childcare Assistance Fund

Every year the SU awards a financial grant to a number of student parents. This year, the grant amount is €30 over 20 weeks and is paid directly to a registered childcare provider. It is awarded to the students deemed to be in the greatest need. This will be advertised in the SU email at the start of the college year and is applied for through the welfare email address. For more information contact the Welfare and Equality Officer at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The Community Childcare Subvention

The CCS is another bursary available to parents. The TCD Nursery is a part of the scheme. When applying it is only the PPSN numbers of one parent and the child that are put on the form meaning that if you are not a lone parent, your partners benefits are not taken into account. If you currently have a medical card, especially if the child is over 6, and are receiving jobseekers or BTEA then it is likely you will be eligible for the CCS payment. Have a look at their criteria here:

http://www.dcya.gov.ie/viewdoc.asp?fn=/documents/ecce-scheme/20140904BandsandRatesSept2014.pdf

Forms and information available from the TCD crèche on 018961938

You can contact the Department of Youth and Children’s Affairs for more information on 016473000

Community Resources

There are also community charity resources such as Saint Vincent De Paul and your local Community Development Project which can offer bursaries for childcare in college. It would be worth talking to their offices and other charity organizations in your area to see if they can offer support.

Back to Education Allowance

You may be eligible for BTEA (back to education allowance) if you are returning to education. You can find more information on your eligibility for BTEA here: http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/social_welfare/social_welfare_payments/back_to_education/back_to_education_allowance.html

They also have a general outline of the scheme here: http://www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/Back-to-Education-Allowance-Scheme.aspx

If you have specific questions you could call their offices at 017043000

Creche have free childcare year with the nursery. Free year that the government give & what other forms of payment do they accept.

ECCE Scheme

The free preschool year in early childcare and Education scheme offers on free year in pre-school care for ages 3-5. Call the TCD nursery for information on how to apply.

You can also find more information here http://www.dcya.gov.ie/viewdoc.asp?DocID=1143

How much does college cost? Budgeting

Even before you start adding the “registration” fee to your budget for the year, it’s pretty obvious that free education isn’t exactly free.

The bad news: Dublin is one of the most expensive places in Europe to be a student. Rents have continued to climb over the last few years and travel expenses are creeping up too. The breakdown of our extremely accurate scientifically designed perfect college monthly budget (of course, it won’t match perfectly with yours) looks like:

The total without transport comes in at €1179- 1320 (see above for transport fees) if you’re living away from home, but it’s a bit less if you’re still living with the folks. You’ll need to sit down with said folks (if you haven’t already) to figure out how much you need week to week and how many hours you can work without destroying either your social life or your academic career. That said, it’s important to remember that part-time work is not as easy to come across as in past years, and that you may be looking for a while.

Here are some quick tips to save money:

• Cook with friends on a rotation
• Use your student discount
• Open a student bank account for student-friendly offers
• Bring a set amount of money on nights out
• Use Trinity FLAC (Free Legal Advice Clinic) for free advice if you run into trouble with your landlord. Visit www.trinityflac.ie for more information. 
• Freeze or refrigerate food for later in the week
• Bring your own lunch
• If you bring your own tea bags you can get hot water for 40c in the Arts Block
• Go to society events
• Get a student leap card, available at the SU shop in front square, to save on transport
• Try a cheaper phone network with a pay-as-you-go option
• Use the SU shop deal of the week and ents card deals

How can I get financial Assistance?

It’s no secret that college is expensive, if you are experiencing financial difficulty check out the below resources. Reach out to the welfare officer if you're stuck. 

SU SERVICES

Short-term, interest-free Welfare Loan of up to €100.

Childcare Assistance Fund.

SU Placement Bursary.

For more information emailThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visithttps://www.tcdsu.org/welfare.

HIGHER EDUCATION GRANT

You can apply for this grant online atwww.grantsonline.ie. Check susi.ie or studentfinance.ie for eligibility information. Although the priority deadline was July 9th, applications are still being accepted until November.

STUDENT ASSISTANCE FUND/STUDENT HARDSHIP FUND

These funds are set aside for students in financial need. Allowances are allocated on a case-by-case basis. TAP/HEAR students should contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Non-TAP/HEAR students should contact their tutor or the Undergraduate Student Support Officer Helen Richardson atThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

BENEFACTIONS

There are a number of Benefactions/Bursaries/Prizes which you may be eligible to apply for. A list of these along with the criteria you must meet in order to apply can be found onhttps://www.tcd.ie/seniortutor/.

THE HIGHER EDUCATION GRANT

If you’re really stuck for money you can see if you qualify for a grant from your local authority. The closing date this year was August 31st, but if you haven’t already, it’s a good idea to ring your local authority and ask if they can accept a late application – some authorities are more lenient than others in accepting late applicants.

There are a couple of criteria you have to fill to be considered eligible to apply for a maintenance grant: you have to be at least 17 years old, and you have to be either an EU national, have official refugee status, or have official humanitarian leave to stay in the country.

The grant is means tested, and it’s based on your parents’ income, unless you’re over 23 (in which case it’s based on your own). The grant comes in five increments: you can get 100%, 75%, 50%, or 25% of the grant along with having your registration fee paid, or you can get 50% of your registration fee paid. This all depends on how much you or your parents earn per year, and also on the number of children in the family attending college. It also depends on how far your family home is from college. Confusing? Don’t worry, it’s not as bizarre as it sounds.

In some cases where two or more children or a candidate’s parent are pursuing an approved course of study in third level education, the income limits may be increased in variable increments from €4670-4830 (€4980 PG). These terms are subject to change and may change.

Now the important stuff: how much are you entitled to? If your family home is more than 45km from the college, you qualify for the non-adjacent rate: this rate is designed to make up for the fact that it costs more to live away from home. It’s still not very generous, though…and if you live less than 45km from the college, you qualify for the adjacent rate, which is a good deal less.

Maintenance is paid three times a year, once each term or can some monthly in smaller sums. The Student Records Office are responsible for handing out the cheques to students: you can contact the students union or Academic Registry directly to find out if you’re grant application has been sent through. Some arrive earlier than others, so if yours hasn’t arrived yet, call into the office and I can help you figure out whats going on. It may be a backlog with Academic Registry. If it’s really late, you can ring them up and demand to know why it isn’t here yet, or you can call into my office and I’ll ring them and demand on your behalf.