1. Access Routes to College
Scholarships

2. HEAR Higher Education Access Route
HEAR is an admissions scheme for students from backgrounds who for cultural and economic reasons do not traditionally go to college.
You can apply for HEAR and the SUSI grant
There are 6 indicators that you must meet and more information can be found on

3. HEAR Indicators
1. Income: Your family income (in the year ended 31 December 2016) falls on or below the HEAR Income Limit.
2. Medical Card: Your family has a Medical Card/ GP Visit Card on 31 December 2017.
3. Social Welfare Payment: Your family received a means-tested payment from the Department of Social Protection for at least 26 weeks in 2017.
4. Socio-economic Group: You belong to a group that is under-represented in higher education based on the occupation and employment status of your parent(s) or guardian(s). At the moment the group includes non-manual workers; semi & unskilled manual workers and agricultural workers.
5. School: You completed five years in a secondary school that takes part in the Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS) scheme run by the Department of Education & Skills.
6. Area: You live in an area (urban or rural) in which there is concentrated disadvantage and social exclusion - in other words, an area where, for example, there is high unemployment and poverty and very few facilities for the community.

4. No. of Dependent children* HEAR Income Limit 2019
To be eligible for the HEAR Scheme you must meet the Low Income Indicator (no. 1) plus a combination of two other indicators.
No. of Dependent children* HEAR Income Limit 2019
Fewer than €45, 790
4 – €50, 325
8 or more €54, 630
Combinations that allow you to take part in the HEAR Scheme are:
INDICATOR 1 plus 2 plus 4 or 5 or 6
INDICATOR 1 plus 3 plus 4 or 5 or 6
INDICATOR 1 plus 4 plus 5 or 6
INDICATOR 1 plus 5 plus 6

5. DARE Disability Access Route to Education DARE is a college and university admissions scheme that offers places on reduced points to school leavers with disabilities. DARE is for school leavers (Under 23 yrs as of 1st January 2018) who have a disability and is aimed at students who have experienced educational impact as a result of having a disability. Meeting Educational Impact Criteria + Meeting Evidence of Disability Criteria =DARE Eligibility

6. DARE Types of Disabilities
Significant on-going illness
Physical Disability
Mental Health Conditions
Deaf/Hard of Hearing
Blind/Vision Impaired
Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)/ Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder (including Asperger’s Syndrome)
Developmental Co-ordination Disorder (DCD) – Dyspraxia.
Speech and Language Communication Disorder
Specific Learning Difficulty- Dyslexia
Neurological Conditions i.e. Epilepsy

7. What does Reduced Points mean?
Students who are eligible for HEAR/DARE may get a place in college for less points. For example a student who gets 356 points may be offered a course that is 366 points.
Please Note: HEAR/DARE students must meet Minimum Entry Requirements and any specific programme requirements before being considered for a reduced points offer.

8. HEAR/DARE Information Clinic
Where: NUIG When: Saturday 19th January Time: 10am-2pm Please try to attend this information session as it will give extra support to those who would like to avail of DARE and HEAR.

9. College Grants and Scholarships

10. Grants
From 2012 a new Application System introduced- SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland).
All details of how and where to apply are available on or
SUSI’S application process opens in April 2019, the career guidance teachers will inform students of the exact date nearer to the time.
Remember! You can apply for HEAR/DARE and the SUSI grant

11. Who can apply for a SUSI Grant?
Students attending higher education undergraduate and postgraduate courses (Level 6-9) 
Students attending Further Education (PLC) courses (Level 5-6) can get financial support through SUSI.
It is made up of 2 components:
A Maintenance Grant
A Fee Grant
The Maintenance Grant is a contribution towards the student’s living costs, while the Fee Grant can cover any of the following 3 elements:
Tuition fees
Student contribution and
Cost of essential field trips
In general, if you qualify for a maintenance grant you will also qualify for whatever elements of a fee grant applies to your situation.
The grant scheme is means-tested. This means that grant rates for qualifying students vary according to a number of factors including:
Household income
Family size and
Whether the student's college is close to their permanent residence
A HANDOUT IS AVAILABLE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON SUSI

12. Scholarships
Scholarships – please collect the handout regarding all scholarships in the various Third Level Colleges and Universities in Ireland.
If you have any queries regarding THE APPLICATION PROCESS OR THE CRITERIA REQUIRED FOR HEAR, DARE, SUSI OR COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP OPTIONS -PLEASE CONTACT ONE OF THE CAREER GUIDANCE TEACHERS
THANK YOU FOR LISTENING