Cork College of FET Morrison's Island Campus
a

MENU

Cork College of FET Morrison's Island Campus
a

MENU

Cork College of FET Morrison's Island Campus
a

MENU

Financial Supports

Take the first step!

FEES & PAYMENT:

Fees & Payment

Financial Supports:

Course Fees

Courses in the college are funded by the Department of Education and Skills and SOLAS (the Further education and Training Authority, with support from the European Social Fund. There are no tuition fees for PLC courses for EU/EEA students.

Course fees are made up of:

  • Student Services fee
  • Examination fees
  • Course Specific costs

As part of the course fee, the college includes a Student Services Fee. This part covers the supply of additional classroom and study materials, some field trips, industry site visits, guest lecturers on certain courses and access to college IT for students, the availability of many college leisure and recreational opportunities and support for College teams and societies.

This charge applies to ALL students and no exemptions apply; however a student who takes up a confirmed VTOS place will have the charge refunded.

QQI (Quality & Qualifications Ireland) examination fees are €50 for Level 5, or €80 for Level 6.

Some courses are certified by other accrediting bodies in full, or may have additional certification from such bodies as well as the QQI certification. Each of these bodies set their own examination fees and these may vary slightly from year to year due to exchange rates. Individual course costs on the college fees page, include these fees.

All students who receive VTOS are exempt from paying examination fees; students who are holders of a Medical Card or a dependant of a Medical Card holder are exempt from paying QQI examination fees only.

Some courses incur additional costs for course related items, e.g. student’s kits and uniforms, manuals etc. The costs associated any such items apply to all students, including VTOS.

A full breakdown of the fees per course can be found here.

By accepting an offer of a place, you are accepting the terms and conditions of CETB regarding fee payments.

Refund Policy

All requests for refunds must be made in writing and addressed to the Admissions Officer, Cork College of FET, Morrison’s Island Campus, Morrison’s Island, Cork. A Refund Request Form is available in reception or by clicking the following link: Refund Request Form. Please read the four situations underneath to see if you are entitled to a refund.

Please be aware that refunds can take up to 3 weeks to receive as they are processed through our Head Office in the Cork Education and Training Board. Refunds are by Electronic Funds Transfer or Cheque only.

Please be aware students are only entitled to a refund of the QQI and PLC fee if they hold a full medical card in their own name. The cut off point for the medical card refund is the last day of term in November.

For any refund inquiries or to request a refund form please email refunds@morrisonsislandcampus.ie.

You can also contact us on (021) 4222 100 or visit us at Morrison’s Island, Cork City.

 

Please Note: If you terminate your course place early, you are required to return your Student ID card in order to receive your refund. The Student ID Card is the property of the College and refunds will not be issued under any circumstances without returning your card.

Situation 1:

Student accepts an offer of a place and pays fees and then informs the College before the commencement of classes that s/he is not going to take up their place.

The Policy States: Refund full amount of fees paid.

 

Situation 2:

Student accepts an offer of a place and pays fees and having commenced the course, informs the College before 01 October that s/he is not proceeding with their participation.

The Policy States: Refund: Fees paid less €50 from Student Services payment:

Less cost of any uniforms, kits, courses etc that have been given to the student as a requirement for the course.
Less any examination fees that have been paid by the student for external examination bodies, if those fees have been remitted to that body.

 

Situation 3:

Student, having accepted a place and commenced on course, decides to leave after 01 October.

The Policy States: No refund except any external examination fees that have not been paid to the external examining body.

 

Situation 4:

Student, having secured a place on a self-financing course then withdraws from course after course commencement.

The Policy States: Refund: No refund can be given as self-financing course can only run under specified student number. If a self-financing course has commenced the student is not entitled to a refund as their place would have determined course commencement. These fees have been paid to finance this course directly.

BTEA (Back to Education Allowance)

The Back to Education Allowance (BTEA) is a scheme for unemployed people, lone parents and people with disabilities who are getting certain payments from the Department of Social Protection.

The allowance can be paid to people who wish to undertake approved second or third level courses of education. BTEA is not an unemployment payment. This weekly allowance is not means tested and you can work part-time without affecting your BTEA payment.

Any full time day course provided by Morrison’s Island Campus is eligible for BTEA as long as the applicant is progressing their level of education qualification i.e. if an applicant has a Level 5 qualification on the National framework of Qualifications (NFQ) they must undertake a course that leads to a Level 6 qualification at least. For more information:

  1. Visit Back To Education Allowance (gov.ie) or
  2. Contact your local Social Welfare Office or
  3. Contact Back to Education Schemes, Department of Social Protection, Social Welfare Services, Government Buildings, Shannon Lodge, Carrick-on-Shannon, Co. Leitrim. t: (071) 967 2698

How do I apply for the back to education allowance?

If you think you are eligible for the BTEA and you have been accepted on an approved course in the College, you should complete the Social Welfare form BTE 1.

The BTE 1 form is available from your local social welfare office. You can access the form directly and print it off by clicking HERE.

Applications for BTEA must be made prior to commencement of an approved course but late applications will be accepted if received within 30 days of the commencement date of the course, provided there are reasonable grounds for doing so.

SUSI Grant

Learners attending full-time Further Education courses may be eligible for a means-tested maintenance grant. Information regarding eligibility and application details is available at www.susi.ie.

Check your eligibility at https://www.susi.ie/eligibility/plc-student/

VTOS

The Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme (VTOS) provides a range of supports to allow individuals who are unemployed to return to education or training. The scheme allows successful applicants to keep their Social Welfare Allowances while attending their course in the college. All full time day courses in the College are eligible for VTOS.

What Benefits will VTOS participants obtain?

In general, VTOS participants who move from jobseeker’s payments get a VTOS training allowance at the same rate as their jobseeker’s payment.

However, if you are under 25 and move from an age-related reduced rate of Jobseeker’s Allowance you will get a maximum VTOS training allowance rate of €208 per week. Any means you have will be deducted from this rate.

Generally, your entitlement to a VTOS training allowance will not be reassessed if there is a change to your circumstances (including means).

Participants will also receive any secondary benefits they already have, such as:

  • Fuel Allowance
  • Rent Allowance
  • Mortgage Interest Supplements

Other Supports include:

  • No Course Fees
  • Access to Text Books at the start of the course

Depending on your individual circumstances you may also be eligible for:

  • Meal Allowance
  • Travel Allowance (if you are staying more than 3 miles from the college while attending)

More detailed information about the rates of payment for VTOS participants can be found on the Department of Social Protection website www.welfare.ie.

Please note that since Budget 2010, people in receipt of VTOS or Back-to-Education Allowance will not be eligible for Student Maintenance Grants.

Do you qualify for VTOS?

To qualify for VTOS, applicants should be 21 years of age or over and have been receiving certain social welfare payments for at least 156 continuous social welfare counted days (6 months) of the previous 12 months. You may qualify for VTOS if you are unemployed and receiving any of the following benefits for at least 6 months:

  • Jobseekers Allowance or Jobseekers Benefit
  • One Parent Family Allowance
  • Blind Pension
  • Deserted Wife’s Allowance; Widow’s, Widower’s or Surviving Civil Partner’s Contributory Pension; Widower’s or Surviving Civil Partner’s Non-Contributory Pension
  • Prisoner’s Spouse Allowance
  • An Adult Dependent on a person in receipt of Unemployment Assistance
  • Disability Allowance
  • Illness Benefit (you must apply to the Exemption Section, Dept of Social, Community & Family Affairs, Store St. Dublin 1 for an exemption to attend the course)

Places are LIMITED on the VTOS programme and are prioritised on the basis of:
(i) Educational need
(ii) Period of time in receipt of Social Welfare payments

To apply for VTOS in the College:

  1. Complete the College Enrolment Procedure.
  2. Fill out a VTOS Application Form (PDF) with a passport-size photograph included.
  3. Return the form to the College VTOS Office.
  4. The closing date for receipt of VTOS applications forms is the first week of September for the academic year that you have signed up for. Application Forms received after this date will be treated as a late application.

Further Enquiries: John Quinlan and Jane Kirrane

t: (021) 4223 806

e: vtos@morrisonsislandcampus.ie

Skip to content