Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 14 July 2021
272. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if there are provisions in place within the support grant scheme process to allow the awarding authority to reclassify application; if not, the reason; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38375/21]
View answerThe purpose of the Student Grant Scheme is to provide additional assistance where parental income is below a certain threshold, or in the case of independent mature students, where the level of income of the student and his or her spouse warrants additional assistance by way of a grant.
For student grant purposes, students are categorised according to their circumstances either as students dependent on parents or a legal guardian, or as independent mature students.
A student may be assessed as an independent student (i.e. assessed without reference to parental income and address) if he/she has attained the age of 23 on the 1st of January of the year of first entry to an approved course, and is not ordinarily resident with his/her parents from the previous 1st October. Otherwise, he/she would be assessed as a dependent student, i.e. assessed with reference to parental income and address.
A student’s status for grant purposes is defined at their first point of entry to an approved further or higher education course or at their point of re-entry to an approved course following a break in studies of at least three years, and continues to apply for the duration of their studies.
However, there are points at which a student may reclassify from a dependent student to an independent student. These are where he/she:
- Progresses from further education to higher education.
- Is returning following a 3 year break in studies.
- Is returning as a "second chance" student after a five year break in studies.
The decision on eligibility for student grant applications is a matter for the centralised grant awarding authority, SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland).
Applicants who do not meet the criteria to be assessed as an independent student for grant purposes, or who cannot supply the necessary documentation to establish independent living for the required period, may still apply to SUSI to have their grant eligibility assessed as a dependent student. The relevant information, including details of parental income, would be required by SUSI to determine grant eligibility as a dependent student.
If an individual applicant considers that she/he has been unjustly refused a student grant, or that the rate of grant awarded is not the correct one, she/he may appeal, in the first instance, to SUSI and subsequently to the Student Grants Appeals Board within the statutory timeframes.
Further information regarding class of applicant (independent or dependent) and the types of documentation accepted as evidence of living independently from parents is available from SUSI’s website: susi.ie/eligibility/applicant-class/
The scheme operates in the context of competing educational priorities and limited public funding. The aim of the scheme is to make a contribution to the cost of going to college. The existing rules reflect the fact that very significant numbers of third-level students move out of home to go to college and continue to be supported by their parents, where their parents have sufficient means, while in full-time education.
In line with the Programme for Government, a review of the Student Grant Scheme is currently underway and is due to report in Autumn 2021. A public consultation process closed in April with over 280 submissions received. The views of students were sought via an online survey process in May and over 9,000 survey responses were received. It is intended that the future direction of the SUSI scheme will be guided by the outcome of the Review.
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 Officer in the third level institution attended. This fund is administered on a confidential, discretionary basis.
