Eligible students not availing of education grant, says Minister

Tens of thousands of eligible third-level students have not yet availed of a grant offering support towards education costs, according to Minister for Further Higher Education Simon Harris.

Mr Harris said that of the estimated 40,000 students eligible for a grant of €500 towards their academic contribution fees, only 10,000 have so far applied. The Minister urged students to find out if they are eligible for support in order to reduce the cost of their education. This can be done by visiting susi.ie and using the website’s “eligibility reckoner.”

Students do not need to have received their Leaving Certificate results or to have been accepted onto a higher education course to apply for the grant. Details of the preferred course of study can be uploaded and then updated depending on which course the student undertakes at a later date.

Last year’s budget introduced a measure that offered the €500 grant to students from a household with a combined income of between €62,000-€100,000. The Department for Further and Higher Education introduced the grant alongside an increase in the earnings threshold for a €1,500 grant towards the student contribution fee from €55,240 to €62,000.

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Grant rates

The new academic year also marked the introduction of an increase in the maintenance grants that were brought in as part of last year’s budget. From January of this year, Band One maintenance grant rates were increased by 14 per cent and other rates by 10 per cent.

Mr Harris said that these supports were “important changes” introduced for the new academic year. “While a large number of students have already applied for the grant, there are potentially tens of thousands more who could be availing of this support,” he said.

“Today I am encouraging students and their families to go to susi.ie and to use the eligibility reckoner and take advantage of the supports that are there to reduce the cost of education.”

Students seeking to renew their grant ahead of this academic year were contacted by Susi, the national authority for higher education grants, directly as renewal applications opened on March 9th. New students have been able to apply since April 13th.