Postgraduate Student Funding
2015/16
Issued by: Finance Office
August 2015
A
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Postgraduate Student Funding 2015/16
Introduction
Although the State funds undergraduate fees, postgraduate students are liable for their fees.
Students can receive funding for their fees and maintenance from a number of different sources:

Postgraduate Scholarships: Awarded by the University under the Postgraduate
Support Scheme. Students should contact their department to discuss these opportunities.

SUSI Grants: Postgraduate students should make their online application to
http://www.susi.ie/ to establish their eligibility.

Awards from Research Grants: Students should contact their department to explore
opportunities.
Postgraduate Scholarship Support Scheme
 Introduction
A Department can support postgraduate students by offering a Scholarship. Holders of
Scholarships are required to undertake teaching and other related duties in the department
where they are studying. There is a ceiling of 150 tutorial and 200 demonstrating hours that any
one student can undertake under the scheme. Payment will be made over the twelve month
period from 1 September 2015 – 31 August 2016 for September registrations; and 1 October 2015 –
30 September 2016 for October registrations. The values of the scholarships set out in the
documents are intended as guidelines. Departments have the flexibility to increase the value of
scholarships provided that sufficient funding is available, there is clear justification for the
increase and there is equity of treatment for all students. The value of the scholarship includes the
student fee payable.
 Who
is eligible for a Scholarship?
Full time registered postgraduate degree students with a relevant first class honours or second
class honours, grade 1, in their degree/higher diploma/results1, qualifying for entry to the
relevant Masters programme, are eligible to apply for scholarship support in the department
where they are registered as postgraduates. Masters degree students should benefit for not
more than two years and PhD students for not more than four years – this benefit is cumulative
i.e. 6 years where student progresses from Masters to PhD.
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Scholarships can be awarded based on a subject result rather than an overall degree result.
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Postgraduate Student Funding 2015/16

Scholarship Award
The scholarships are divided into different categories based on the total number of tutorial or
demonstrating hours undertaken by the postgraduate student in the year. The Department
may award a scholarship, within its budget, as follows:
TABLE 1– ALL STUDENTS
Category of
Award
Demo
Hours
Tutorial
Hours
Total Value of Scholarship
(for Budgetary Purposes)
€
A
60-79
45-59
5,770
B
80-119
60-89
6,280
C
120-159
90-119
7,560
D
160-179
120-134
8,820
E
180- 200
135- 150
10,060
The values of the scholarships set out in the documents are intended as guidelines. Please
check the Postgraduate Fees Schedule for postgraduate fees for the 2015/16 academic year.
Departments have the flexibility to increase the value of scholarships provided that sufficient
funding is available, there is clear justification for the increase and there is equity of treatment
for all students. The value of the scholarship includes the student fee payable. In all cases the
scholarship will be paid to the student via the Payroll office. A student in receipt of a
scholarship is not precluded under the Scheme from receiving a maintenance/non fee award
from another agency or Industry. However, Department Heads should note the overall
monetary award received by each student in making scholarship decisions, so as to ensure that
available funding supports as many postgraduate students as possible in an equitable way.
Scholarships can be paid or supplemented from research grants.
Details of hours worked
Details of hours worked must be completed on the Postgraduate Support Scheme Monthly
Record of Hours Form (P4) http://www.ucc.ie/en/financeoffice/forms/payroll/. These must
be retained by the Department for inspection for audit purposes. It is no longer necessary to
return a copy of Departments Records of Hours worked to the Payroll Office. Each Head of
Department must ensure that each student completes the required numbers of hours set out in
their Scholarship. Where the required numbers of hours are not completed the Head of
Department must notify Payroll Office immediately to stop further payments.
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Postgraduate Student Funding 2015/16
Payment Authorisation for Scholarships
The Head of Department or his/her nominee is requested to notify the Payroll Office of
Scholarship awards on the appropriate forms ( P3)
http://www.ucc.ie/en/financeoffice/forms/payroll/.
To ensure that payments are made to the students in September/ October, the Payroll Office
must receive payment authorisation forms from departments by Tuesday, 15th September 2015
for September registrations and Thursday, 15th October 2015 for October registrations.
Departments should advise students, in writing, of the amount of the scholarship as this
document is needed for registration.
Departments should be aware that this scheme is an annual one and each postgraduate student
must be renominated to the Payroll Office at the beginning of each academic year.
(Payments under the Scholarship Scheme will be made over a twelve-month period. )
All students will be paid electronically via Paypath. Students who have not previously
submitted their Paypath details are required to complete the relevant form which is available
from the Finance Office website http://www.ucc.ie/en/financeoffice/forms/payroll/
To establish entitlement to exemption from Income Tax for Postgraduate Scholarship Income, as
provided for under Section 193, Taxes Consolidation Act, 1997, students must fully complete a
Scholarship Exemption Declaration Form (P5)
http://www.ucc.ie/en/financeoffice/forms/payroll/. Each department should keep a copy
of the Scholarship Exemption Declaration Form for each student in case there are any queries
arising from the submission of the form. The student must sign the form and return it to
his/her department, who in turn should send it with a departmental covering letter, on
behalf of the student, to the Finance Officer (Acting), Finance Office, U.C.C. All incomplete
forms will be sent back to the relevant department within UCC for completion.
Students are advised to take note of the Revenue Guidelines on the completion of the
Declaration Form (P5) http://www.ucc.ie/en/financeoffice/forms/payroll/ (attached to the
Scholarship Exemption Declaration Form). Note: Any person who knowingly makes a false
declaration for the purposes of obtaining exemption from income tax is liable to heavy
penalties.
All rules governing the scholarship must be included with the form. On completion of the
declaration by the student, UCC will accept that exemption from tax is deemed to apply to the
relevant scholarship. If, subsequent to the declaration, the Revenue deems the scholarship not
to be exempt from income tax, UCC will apply tax and PRSI. Any issue relating to recoupment
of back tax2 will be progressed by Revenue with the student.
2
Back tax relates to tax due for previous tax years
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Postgraduate Student Funding 2015/16
Payroll should then be informed that the declaration form has been forwarded to the Finance
Officer (Acting), to allow the release of the studentship payment. This is done by either:(a) If a Scholarship Exemption Declaration Form can be completed at the time of nomination,
please tick the relevant box on the payment authorisation form (P3 Form)
http://www.ucc.ie/en/financeoffice/forms/payroll/ to indicate that it has been forwarded to
the Finance Officer (Acting) or
(b) In the event that the required information is not available at the time of the submission of
the payment authorisation form (P3 Form)
http://www.ucc.ie/en/financeoffice/forms/payroll/ the department must email to the
Payroll Office (cosullivan@ucc.ie or joregan@ucc.ie) notification of when the student’s tax
exemption form has been returned to the Finance Officer (Acting).
A student cannot receive a payment until this information is received by the Payroll Office.
PLEASE NOTE: If during the course of the academic year there are changes to the
Scholarship details, e.g. amount or conditions; the department must send a letter to the
Finance Officer (Acting) giving details of the change. Payroll office will require a revised P3
form http://www.ucc.ie/en/financeoffice/forms/payroll/ to implement the relevant changes.
Registration

Registration of postgraduate students is conducted on-line. Please refer to the following
web address for details. http://www.ucc.ie/admin/registrar/examsrec/

For students who commence their studies during the academic year, registration will
take place each Tuesday afternoon in the Graduates, Records and Fees Offices, Main
Quadrangle, 2.30pm to 4.30pm.

Departments
should
ensure
they
have
sent
a
F1
form
http://www.ucc.ie/en/financeoffice/forms/other/ to the Fees office for all students in
receipt of a scholarship under the Postgraduate Support Scheme prior to registration.
Queries & Correspondence re Registration & Fees
All queries & correspondence regarding Registration should be addressed to the following:
Postgraduate students
Helen Buckley, Graduate Studies Office Ext. 5198
h.buckley@ucc.ie
All queries & correspondence regarding Fees should be addressed to the following:
All Funded postgraduate students
Deirdre Daly, Fees Office
Ext. 2954
Deirdre.daly@ucc.ie
Student ID number must be quoted on all correspondence with these offices.
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Postgraduate Student Funding 2015/16
Other Funding Opportunities for Postgraduate Students
Introduction
Students, who do not qualify for a scholarship in accordance with the above scheme, or where
scholarship funds are not available to the department, may be appointed to carry out
demonstrating or tutorial responsibilities.

Scheme
The rates of pay for students for demonstrating and tutorial work are available on the HR
website www.ucc.ie/en/hr/salaryscales/

Payment is made on the basis of hours returned on monthly timesheets
http://www.ucc.ie/en/financeoffice/forms/payroll/ and is subject to PAYE and PRSI
deductions. Please note that payment can only be processed on submission of fully
completed timesheets to the Payroll Office. The student’s PPS number is also required to ensure
payment.
All Students will be paid electronically via Paypath. All students who have not previously
submitted their Paypath details are required to complete the relevant form which is available
from the Finance Office website: http://www.ucc.ie/en/financeoffice/forms/payroll/
 Payment
Authorisation for Tutor/Demonstrator Hourly Payments
The Head of Department or his/her nominee is requested to notify the Payroll Office of all
students on the Payment Authorisation Form.
The deadline for monthly return of hours to the Payroll Office is the 15th of each month.

Queries & Correspondence
Queries on Payroll should be directed to:
Payroll:
Studentships and Undergraduate Demonstrators
Catherine O’Sullivan/Jess O’Regan Ext. 2244
Email: cosullivan@ucc.ie or j.oregan@ucc.ie
Postgraduate hourly-paid Demonstrators/Tutors
Elaine Rodrigues
Ext. 3786
Email: elaine.rodrigues@ucc.ie
PPS number must be quoted on all correspondence with these offices.
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B
Available from the Finance Office Website
http://www.ucc.ie/en/financeoffice/forms/payroll/
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FORMS
P1 -
Student Application Form: To be completed by students and returned to their
Department.
P3 -
Payment Authorisation Form (P3 Form) for Postgraduates: To be completed by
Departments and returned to Payroll by the 15th of each month. In addition, where the
student is research funded, a copy of the P3 form should be sent directly to the Research
Grants and Contracts Office.
P4 -
Postgraduate Support Scheme Record of Hours Form: to be completed by each
Postgraduate Scholarship student and retained by each Department for inspection for
audit purposes.
P5 -
Revenue Scholarship Exemption Declaration Form: To be completed by each
Postgraduate Scholarship Student, submitted to the department and forwarded by the
Department to Cormac McSweeney, Finance Officer (Acting). A copy must be
retained for departmental files.
P6 -
Request to be paid electronically via Paypath Form: To be completed by each student
and returned to the Payroll Office.
The above forms are available from the Finance Office website:
http://www.ucc.ie/en/financeoffice/forms/payroll/
F1 -
Postgraduate Fees Payment Form – available from:
http://www.ucc.ie/en/financeoffice/forms/other/
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