Students interested in spending next summer in the Geary Institute or other research groups should think about this excellent scheme. as one potential route.
HRB Grants and Fellowships
Summer Student Scholarships
Training / Career Development
Opening Date:
8 December 2010
Closing Date:
26 January 2011
Details:
HRB Summer Student Scholarships 2011
The Health Research Board invites applications for summer scholarships from undergraduate students in health-related disciplines to support their participation in research during Summer 2011. The purpose of the student scholarships is to encourage an interest in research and to give the student an opportunity to become familiar with research techniques.
WHO should apply?
Undergraduate students who are not in the final year of their degree course who are studying in a health-related discipline at a university in Ireland.
In line with the HRB strategy the project must fall within one of the following research areas: clinical research, health services research, population health sciences research or applied biomedical research. Applications that focus solely or predominantly on basic biomedical research are not eligible.
WHAT is the value of the award?
The amount paid will be €250 per week for a maximum of eight weeks.
WHEN is the DEADLINE for applications?
Wednesday 26 January at 12.00 noon.
HOW can one apply?
Applications must be made online using the HRB eGrants system. Please note that for the purposes of the Summer Student Scholarship Scheme, when registering with eGrants, the Student is considered to be the Principal Investigator.
Further information is available in the Guidelines for Applicants document below.
Contact:
Patricia Cranley
Showing posts with label grants. Show all posts
Showing posts with label grants. Show all posts
Friday, December 10, 2010
Friday, October 09, 2009
The Federal Work-Study Program
The Federal Work-Study (FWS) Program "provides funds that are earned through part-time employment to assist students in financing the costs of postsecondary education. Students can receive FWS funds at approximately 3,400 participating postsecondary institutions. Institutional financial aid administrators at participating institutions have substantial flexibility in determining the amount of FWS awards to provide to students who are enrolled or accepted for enrollment. Hourly wages must not be less than the federal minimum wage."
This is an interesting program to read about with Ireland in mind, at a time when it is very hard for students to find part-time work. There is also some concern amongst student representatives that the eligibility-criteria for the maintenance grant will become more stringent, and that there will be a cutback on the level of the maintenance grant.
This is an interesting program to read about with Ireland in mind, at a time when it is very hard for students to find part-time work. There is also some concern amongst student representatives that the eligibility-criteria for the maintenance grant will become more stringent, and that there will be a cutback on the level of the maintenance grant.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Grants or Loans?
Grants or Loans? Theoretical Issues Regarding Access and Persistence in Postsecondary Education
Lorne Carmichael, Ross Finnie; 2007
Abstract:
Lorne Carmichael, Ross Finnie; 2007
Abstract:
Most economic investigations of access to education treat an investment in college or university as if it were a financial investment offering a particular expected rate of return. Since the average measured rates of return are quite favourable, other factors such as lack of information, contrary parental influence, or "debt aversion" must be invoked to explain the unwillingness of some qualified students from poorer backgrounds to borrow money and attend. However, a model that recognizes the hardship associated with low levels of expenditure suggests that, ceteris paribus, poorer students will actually need a higher measured rate of return before they will decide to attend. The result holds even when there is an efficient student loan system. This approach can provide some normative guidance for decisions about the choice of grants or loans as vehicles for student aid, and has positive implications about the effects of grants and loans on access and persistence.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
The Time Value of Exchequer Funding, and the Fees Debate
In an article in today's Irish Times, Sean Flynn reports that parents will get a discount of about 20 per cent for those who pay upfront – in order to generate funds for the exchequer in the short term. This is in the context an "income-contingent loan scheme" for financing higher education, a being considered by Minister for Education Batt O’Keeffe.
The article doesn't say, but I assume that 'paying upfront' means paying fees at the start of each academic year, rather than paying fees for an entire course at the start of the course. A question that parents with cash may ask themselves at the start of each academic year is "Can I earn 20 percent (risk-free) on this lump-sum over the next year?". I would be very surprised if anyone answered yes to this question (even in boom times), so it seems like a highly-loaded incentive scheme, in relation to the time value of exchequer funding.
In relation to the wider debate on the financing of higher education, Richard Layte, Selina McCoy and Philip J O'Connell (from the ESRI) have an article in last Friday's Irish Independent which argues that college fees are a minor part of the story (if the objective is to increase participation by low-income students). They mention the importance of investment in early childhood education (as discussed by Prof. James Heckman in the lecture linked below), the eligibility of and level of maintenance grants (mentioned recently on the blog here) and the need for quality Access programmes at third-level (which relates to one of Geary's evaluation projects).
"At present, the State pays €350 million to the third-level system in lieu of fees each year. Sources say the plan to offer a discount of about 20 per cent for upfront payments could yield €70 million."
The article doesn't say, but I assume that 'paying upfront' means paying fees at the start of each academic year, rather than paying fees for an entire course at the start of the course. A question that parents with cash may ask themselves at the start of each academic year is "Can I earn 20 percent (risk-free) on this lump-sum over the next year?". I would be very surprised if anyone answered yes to this question (even in boom times), so it seems like a highly-loaded incentive scheme, in relation to the time value of exchequer funding.
In relation to the wider debate on the financing of higher education, Richard Layte, Selina McCoy and Philip J O'Connell (from the ESRI) have an article in last Friday's Irish Independent which argues that college fees are a minor part of the story (if the objective is to increase participation by low-income students). They mention the importance of investment in early childhood education (as discussed by Prof. James Heckman in the lecture linked below), the eligibility of and level of maintenance grants (mentioned recently on the blog here) and the need for quality Access programmes at third-level (which relates to one of Geary's evaluation projects).
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
Should Irish Students Turn Their 'Free-Fees' Campaign Towards Higher Education Grants?
Yesterday the HEA published the third Eurostudent Survey to be conducted in the Republic of Ireland; the report is available on the HEA website here. There is a short discussion of the report in today's Irish Independent (here), which quotes the report saying that "there are substantial negative effects of working beyond 20 hours per week. Up to this point, the effects of working extra hours do not seem to be important." Other findings are that:
- Some 65pc of students earn at least some income from employment
- Students' spending averages €1,086.64 per month
- The most popular job held by students is shop assistant, followed by working as waiters or waitresses and then bar staff
The third Eurostudent Survey reports on 2007 field-work that was conducted here with colleagues at the Geary Institute. Now we are at the start of 2009 - and with economic recession underway - the concern of working more than 20 hours a week during college is mostly a thing of the past. Despite this, student expenditure costs of approximately €1,000 a month (or €12,000 a year) still have to be financed. So average living costs of a four-year undergraduate degree are circa €50,000, and somehow they must be paid.
According to a report in today's Irish Times, over 20,000 students are expected to take to the streets of Dublin tomorrow to oppose the reintroduction of third-level fees, and to highlight the role they feel education should play in any economic recovery plan. It might be the case that a better use of the protest would be to re-direct the campaign towards a call for improved higher education grants.
The rationale for this stems from the unemployment problem that students now face. Instead of worrying about whether they are working too many hours, or wishing they had a handier number, many students are now lucky to have any job at all. A discussion on this issue is provided by Bridget Fitzsimons in the current edition of the UCD University Observer: "No part-time means full-time trouble...". "Student Advisor, Aisling O’Grady has noted 'a definite marked increase' in those visiting (UCD) Student Advisors for financial advice after being unable to find employment." For any students in severe financial difficulties, some options for advice and support are mentioned in the article. One comment about the new conditions facing students is provided by Juan Houlihan in 1st Arts:
With the uncertain and unlikely prospect of getting a part-time job to cover living costs during higher education, students would gain considerably from an improved higher education grant. This could be a preferable option if there were to be an either/or scenario between 'free frees' or 'improved grants'. The re-introduction of fees in the context of an interest-free student loan system has been tabled by the Minister for Education, Batt O'Keefe. An interest-free lending initiative would mean that students would not have to worry about the cost of their higher education until they have secured post-graduate employment and are earning above a certain level of salary. In a detailed discussion of interest-free student loans on this blog, it was previously noted that the UK student loan system has the following features:
- repayments do not start until April of the year after students have completed their course
- repayments do not start until the student is earning more than 15,000 pounds
- the repayment is 9% of gross salary
- the repayment is transacted as an automatic deducation (through PAYE though this could as easily be a direct debit)
- there is no particular schedule for clearing the debt, but, if it has not been cleared 25 years after repayment began, or if the student turns 65 years old ---- then the remaining debt will be cancelled
In fact, the UK student loan system is a really good offer. Though it does mean that British taxpayers (particularly those that do not get the chance to attend higher education) sacrifice the time-value of their tax-pounds. In other words, they stump up cash so that other people can get a higher education. The money might otherwise be spent on things such as better policing, better healthcare or better primary school services. What's more, the loans on offer are subsidised by taxpayers so that there are some tax-pounds that will never go towards other public services. (What this means is that there really is no such thing as 'free fees' - as somebody else will pay the cost!). All that being said, the recipients of interest-free student loans shouldn't feel so bad, as there is such a thing as non-private returns to education (in other words, externalities - including more tax revenues for govt.).
So, it may be the case that some students would prefer to have 'interest-free student loans' as well as 'improved higher education maintenance grants', rather than just maintaining the status quo of 'free fees'. At present, to get a full maintenance 'grant' of €3,420, the maximum income limit for a family of four children is €38,675 a year. For more than eight children, it is €46,140 a year. Former education minister Niamh Bhreathnach, who abolished tuition fees, admitted she was disappointed at these figures. For more on the 'grant' and its history, see this previous blog post.
What we do know is that the annual maintenance support of €3,420 seems very low, and that it falls very far below the €12,000 that students are estimated to need for their annual expenditure (see Eurostudent 3). Without part-time employment opportunities to cover the difference, will every student comtinue to attend college? Furthermore, what about the students who are not entitled to a grant but can't get a part-time job? That is, those students from a four-kid family with an income above €38,675? A Geary working paper from 2007, "Household Characteristics of Higher Education Participants", suggests that eligibility for maintenance grants is an important factor for encouraging particpation in higher education.
All of this leads to the suggestion that a better use of tomorrow's protest would be to call for interest-free student loans and improved higher education grants (improvements to both the amount of the payment and the level of family-income at which the grant is payable). All that being said, 'interest-free student loans' combined with 'improved higher education grants' is a much more expensive prospect for the government compared to simply introducing interest-free loans, or for that matter, simply re-introducing student fees.
One thing is for certain, if the 'free fees policy' is definitely on the way out (and the govt. deficit is certainly putting this on the agenda), then students would be better served lobbying for an interest-free loan system rather than protesting against the inevitable. What might be needed now is some thought on how to generate short-term finance for interest-free student loans (and perhaps even improvements to grants). One suggestion is to issue ring-fenced special savings bonds. These bonds would bear interest in the same way as any other Irish govt. bond; however, the buyers of these bonds would also know that they are generating cash-flow to support Irish higher education.
- Some 65pc of students earn at least some income from employment
- Students' spending averages €1,086.64 per month
- The most popular job held by students is shop assistant, followed by working as waiters or waitresses and then bar staff
The third Eurostudent Survey reports on 2007 field-work that was conducted here with colleagues at the Geary Institute. Now we are at the start of 2009 - and with economic recession underway - the concern of working more than 20 hours a week during college is mostly a thing of the past. Despite this, student expenditure costs of approximately €1,000 a month (or €12,000 a year) still have to be financed. So average living costs of a four-year undergraduate degree are circa €50,000, and somehow they must be paid.
According to a report in today's Irish Times, over 20,000 students are expected to take to the streets of Dublin tomorrow to oppose the reintroduction of third-level fees, and to highlight the role they feel education should play in any economic recovery plan. It might be the case that a better use of the protest would be to re-direct the campaign towards a call for improved higher education grants.
The rationale for this stems from the unemployment problem that students now face. Instead of worrying about whether they are working too many hours, or wishing they had a handier number, many students are now lucky to have any job at all. A discussion on this issue is provided by Bridget Fitzsimons in the current edition of the UCD University Observer: "No part-time means full-time trouble...". "Student Advisor, Aisling O’Grady has noted 'a definite marked increase' in those visiting (UCD) Student Advisors for financial advice after being unable to find employment." For any students in severe financial difficulties, some options for advice and support are mentioned in the article. One comment about the new conditions facing students is provided by Juan Houlihan in 1st Arts:
"...I couldn’t go home every weekend for work, and I thought it would be easy to find work in Dublin. I’ve looked in a lot of places, but nowhere will even look at CVs. It’s difficult, and if I didn’t have grants to cover some expenses, I’d be in a lot of trouble. It’s hard to get through college..."
With the uncertain and unlikely prospect of getting a part-time job to cover living costs during higher education, students would gain considerably from an improved higher education grant. This could be a preferable option if there were to be an either/or scenario between 'free frees' or 'improved grants'. The re-introduction of fees in the context of an interest-free student loan system has been tabled by the Minister for Education, Batt O'Keefe. An interest-free lending initiative would mean that students would not have to worry about the cost of their higher education until they have secured post-graduate employment and are earning above a certain level of salary. In a detailed discussion of interest-free student loans on this blog, it was previously noted that the UK student loan system has the following features:
- repayments do not start until April of the year after students have completed their course
- repayments do not start until the student is earning more than 15,000 pounds
- the repayment is 9% of gross salary
- the repayment is transacted as an automatic deducation (through PAYE though this could as easily be a direct debit)
- there is no particular schedule for clearing the debt, but, if it has not been cleared 25 years after repayment began, or if the student turns 65 years old ---- then the remaining debt will be cancelled
In fact, the UK student loan system is a really good offer. Though it does mean that British taxpayers (particularly those that do not get the chance to attend higher education) sacrifice the time-value of their tax-pounds. In other words, they stump up cash so that other people can get a higher education. The money might otherwise be spent on things such as better policing, better healthcare or better primary school services. What's more, the loans on offer are subsidised by taxpayers so that there are some tax-pounds that will never go towards other public services. (What this means is that there really is no such thing as 'free fees' - as somebody else will pay the cost!). All that being said, the recipients of interest-free student loans shouldn't feel so bad, as there is such a thing as non-private returns to education (in other words, externalities - including more tax revenues for govt.).
So, it may be the case that some students would prefer to have 'interest-free student loans' as well as 'improved higher education maintenance grants', rather than just maintaining the status quo of 'free fees'. At present, to get a full maintenance 'grant' of €3,420, the maximum income limit for a family of four children is €38,675 a year. For more than eight children, it is €46,140 a year. Former education minister Niamh Bhreathnach, who abolished tuition fees, admitted she was disappointed at these figures. For more on the 'grant' and its history, see this previous blog post.
What we do know is that the annual maintenance support of €3,420 seems very low, and that it falls very far below the €12,000 that students are estimated to need for their annual expenditure (see Eurostudent 3). Without part-time employment opportunities to cover the difference, will every student comtinue to attend college? Furthermore, what about the students who are not entitled to a grant but can't get a part-time job? That is, those students from a four-kid family with an income above €38,675? A Geary working paper from 2007, "Household Characteristics of Higher Education Participants", suggests that eligibility for maintenance grants is an important factor for encouraging particpation in higher education.
All of this leads to the suggestion that a better use of tomorrow's protest would be to call for interest-free student loans and improved higher education grants (improvements to both the amount of the payment and the level of family-income at which the grant is payable). All that being said, 'interest-free student loans' combined with 'improved higher education grants' is a much more expensive prospect for the government compared to simply introducing interest-free loans, or for that matter, simply re-introducing student fees.
One thing is for certain, if the 'free fees policy' is definitely on the way out (and the govt. deficit is certainly putting this on the agenda), then students would be better served lobbying for an interest-free loan system rather than protesting against the inevitable. What might be needed now is some thought on how to generate short-term finance for interest-free student loans (and perhaps even improvements to grants). One suggestion is to issue ring-fenced special savings bonds. These bonds would bear interest in the same way as any other Irish govt. bond; however, the buyers of these bonds would also know that they are generating cash-flow to support Irish higher education.
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