Farming education, grants and supports

There are a variety of courses available if you are interested in farming, or are already farming and want to upskill or learn about a new area.

You may also need to complete a farming course to access some farming schemes and payments, such as the Organic Farming Scheme.

Many farming courses are run by Teagasc while others are run by third-level colleges, sometimes in partnership with Teagasc.

There are grants and schemes available to help you with the cost of studying.

There are also a number of apprenticeships available if you are interested in getting practical experience in farming.

You may choose to work on a farm as a seasonal worker, for example, during the summer holidays. This can be a useful way of getting experience in farming before signing up to a course or apprenticeship.

Teagasc provide QQI level 5 and 6 further education courses at their colleges and local centres. The courses cover different farming topics such as:

• Agricultural mechanisation
• Crops and machinery management
• Dairy herd management
• Drystock herd management
• Equine studies
• Forestry
• Horticulture
• Pig management
• Poultry management

They also run higher level courses in partnership with third-level colleges.

You can find a full list of these courses on the Teagasc website.

They also run adult and continuing education courses and food industry training.

Teagasc has their own student maintenance grant scheme to help with the cost of studying. This grant is means-tested.

What are apprenticeships?

An apprenticeship is how people are trained in a craft trade or profession.

An apprenticeship programme provides on-the-job training with an employer along with off-the-job training in an education centre. An apprenticeship can last 2 to 4 years.

When you complete an apprenticeship programme, you will get a recognised qualification at Level 5 or above on the NFQ framework.

Apprenticeships in farming

There are apprenticeships for specific areas of farming.

Teagasc offers 4 different apprenticeship programmes:

• Farm manager
• Farm technician
• Horticulturist
• Sportsturf Management

See our page on apprenticeships for more information about other apprenticeship options.

If you want to study farming, there are different financial supports you can get to help with the cost.

If you are applying for a full Teagasc level 5 or level 6 course, you may be able to apply for the Teagasc Student Maintenance Grant Scheme. Otherwise, you can apply for the standard Student Grant Scheme.

The Teagasc Student Maintenance Grant Scheme is a grant for students enrolled in full-time Teagasc level 5 or level 6 courses. The grant is to help with student’s living costs. It does not cover course fees. The grant is paid for and managed by Teagasc.

Do I qualify?

To qualify for the Teagasc Student Maintenance Grant Scheme, you must meet most of the criteria for the Student Grant Scheme.

You must meet the Student Grant Scheme conditions about your:

• Nationality and immigration status
• Residency status
• Progression in your studies

In addition, to qualify for the Teagasc Student Maintenance Grant Scheme you must:

• Be enrolled on a full-time Teagasc level 5 or level 6 course
• Pass the means test (where income is calculated in a slightly different way to the standard Student Grant Scheme means test)

Means test for Teagasc maintenance grant

The means test for the Teagasc maintenance grant has the same income limits as the one for the Student Grant Scheme. However, the way your reckonable income is calculated is slightly different. So, you cannot apply to Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) to be means tested for a Teagasc Student Maintenance Grant.

Similarly to SUSI, Teagasc looks at all your ’reckonable income’ when assessing your Teagasc student grant application. Reckonable income is gross income from all sources. Some social welfare payments and financial support payments are excluded - see more details on reckonable income on the SUSI website.

Calculation of farm income

The Student Grant Scheme looks at all income for the previous tax year when applying the means test for their grant. However, Teagasc will average farm income or income from self-employment over the last 3 years when looking at income for the means test for their grant. This average is based on the Revenue Notice of Assessment.

Other income will be calculated using your households most recent Employment Detail Summary and Statement of Liability.

Income add-backs

There are a number of deductions that are allowed by Revenue, which are not allowed for the Student Grant Scheme means test. For example, depreciation. These deductions are added back to your reckonable income when assessing you for the grant, which increases your income for the means test. These are known as ‘add-backs’.

The Teagasc grant does not include some of the Student Grant Scheme ‘add-backs’ in its means test. So, deductions for the following items are not added to your reckonable income for the Teagasc grant:

• Payments to family labour
• Finance lease payments
• Interest on capital expenditure
• Depreciation

The household income limits for the Teagasc Maintenance Grant are the same as the Student Grant Scheme limits.

How much will I get?

The amount you get is also based on where you live. Depending on how close you live to the college, you may receive adjacent rates or non-adjacent rates. These are based on your Eircode.

Adjacent rates

If you normally live less than 30 kilometres from the college you are attending, you will receive adjacent rates.

Non-adjacent rates

If you normally live more than 30 kilometres from the college you are attending, you will receive non-adjacent rates.

The grant rates for the Teagasc Maintenance Grant are the same as the Student Grant Scheme rates.

How will I be paid the grant?

Maintenance grant payments are paid by Teagasc through the college you are attending. The payments will be made at 3 stages over the college year and are calculated on daily attendance, including both online and face-to-face classes.

How do I apply?

To apply, you must submit a completed application form (pdf) to the following address:

Teagasc Maintenance Grant,

PO Box 46,

Clonakility,

Co. Cork

P85 FV48

You can find guidance notes on the application process on the Teagasc website.

When is the deadline?

The closing date for applications is 30 September 2024.

What if I have received a Teagasc Student Maintenance Grant before?

If you have completed a Level 5 course in the 2023/2024 college year and you want to do a Level 6 course in 2024/2025, you must complete the Teagasc Student Maintenance Grant Renewal/Reassessment Form 2024/2025.

These forms will be sent out in early September to students who received a student maintenance grant in 2023/2024 and are progressing to a Level 6 course.

Up to 20% of students who qualified for a student maintenance grant in 2023/2024 will be reassessed for the 2024/2025.

More information on Teagasc Student Maintenance Grants

For more information on Teagasc Student Maintenance Grants, you can contact by:

• Email: teagascmaintenancegrant@southwestern.ie
• Phone: 0818 161 000

The Student Grant Scheme is the main financial support scheme for students studying in Ireland and abroad. It is also known as the SUSI grant.

Student grants are divided into:

• Maintenance grants
• Fee grants

Maintenance grants help students with their living costs. Fee grants pay tuition fees for students who do not qualify for the Free Fees Scheme.

Fee grants can also pay the Student Contribution and the cost of essential field trips.

To qualify for the grant, you must meet certain conditions.

For more information, see our page on the Student Grant Scheme.

You should talk to your school guidance counsellor if you are considering a farming course. You can also contact Teagasc or the universities directly to find out more about the options for studying farming and farming apprenticeships.

You can contact Teagasc for more information on the Teagasc Student Maintenance Grant.

If you have any questions or need help applying for the Student Grant Scheme, contact the SUSI Support desk Monday to Friday, from 9.00am – 5.30pm (excluding public holidays):

• Email: support@susi.ie
• Phone: 0818 888 777 if calling from within Ireland, or (+353)1 524 2257 if calling from abroad.
• Post: Send all documents and correspondence to P.O. Box 869, Little Island, Cork.

You can find more information on grants and funds available for students on the Higher Education Authority website.