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Third Level Costs

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 November 2020

Tuesday, 3 November 2020

Questions (1007)

Cormac Devlin

Question:

1007. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if his attention has been drawn to the case of a person (details supplied); if the case will be reviewed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32678/20]

View answer

Written answers

The decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter for the centralised student grant awarding authority Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) to determine.

For student grants purposes, students are categorised according to their circumstances either as students dependent on parents or a legal guardian, or as independent mature students.

Being a dependent student means that your income and that of your parent(s) or legal guardian(s)’ income for the reference year will be taken into consideration in assessing you for grant purposes.

However, if neither parent is living, and in the absence of a court appointed legal guardian, the orphan will be assessed on their individual income only, if applicable.

If a legal Guardian has been appointed and they are in receipt of a Guardian’s payment or Orphan’s Pension from the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection, this income is not considered reckonable when assessing the grant application. It may also entitle the applicant to a special rate award, providing all other income received fall under the threshold of €24,500. If the Guardian’s payment is paid to someone else, such as a sibling or another family member, the income will not be reckonable, but the applicant will only be eligible for consideration for the ordinary rate of grant unless there is another qualifying payment as per Schedule 2 of the Student Grant Scheme 2020.

A student may be assessed as an independent mature student if he or she has attained the age of 23 on the 1st of January of the year of first entry to an approved course or of re-entry following a break in studies of at least three years and is not ordinarily resident with his/her parents/ legal guardian from the previous October. Otherwise he or she would continue to be assessed on the basis of parental/ legal Guardian income.

Only in exceptional cases, where compelling evidence of estrangement from parents/guardians is provided, can candidates who are under 23 be assessed without reference to their parents/guardians income or address, Article 21(3) (b) of the Scheme refers.

SUSI, the grant awarding authority, has advised that the student in question has made no grant application for the academic year 2020/21. SUSI’s online application process for student grant applications for the 2020/21 academic year opened on 23rd April, 2020. The closing date for receipt of late applications by SUSI is 5th November, 2020.

Further information regarding class of applicant (independent or dependent) and the types of documentation accepted as evidence of living independently from parents / legal Guardians is available from SUSI’s website: https://susi.ie/eligibility/applicant-class/. You may also wish to further discuss your particular circumstances by telephoning the SUSI Support Desk on 0761 087 874.

Apart from the Student Grant Scheme, students in third-level institutions experiencing exceptional financial need can apply for support under the Student Assistance Fund. This Fund assists students, in a sensitive and compassionate manner, who might otherwise be unable to continue their third level studies due to their financial circumstances. Information on the fund is available through the Access Office in the third level institution attended.

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