Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 March 2022
411. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the current maximum income allowed for a household for a new SUSI applicant; if the applicants income is taken into consideration; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12621/22]
View answerThe Student Grant Scheme, administered by SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland), provides grant assistance to students attending an approved course in an approved institution who meet the prescribed conditions of funding, including those relating to nationality, residency, previous academic attainment and means.
The means test arrangements of the Student Grant Scheme are applied nationally. Student grant applications are means tested on gross income from all sources earned inside and outside the State within a specified reference period. In the case of both employed and self-employed applicants, gross income, before deduction of income tax or universal social charge, is assessed with certain specified social welfare and health service executive payments excluded.
The decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter, in the first instance, for the centralised student grant awarding authority SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland) to determine.
The means test takes into consideration the income of the applicant and his/her parents/legal guardian or spouse as appropriate. 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/.
Under Article 22(5)(b) of the Student Grant Scheme 2021, income from an applicant’s employment which represents holiday earnings outside of term time but within the reference period up to a maximum of €4,500 can be deducted from the total reckonable income assessed.
Under the Student Grant Scheme 2021, the highest income threshold for the award of 25% maintenance grant assistance ranges between €45,790 and €54,630 (varying based on the number of dependent children in the household). However, additional increments (of up to €4,830 per person) may be applied to these thresholds to take into account other relevant persons in the household (apart from the applicant) attending a full-time further or higher education course.
As part of Budget 2022, I have secured an additional €15m to enhance the existing financial supports under the Student Grant Scheme for implementation in 2022.
For the academic year 2022/23 this will mean:-
- An increase to all student grant maintenance payments, including the special rate of grant, of €200 per year which will benefit all students entitled to receive a maintenance Grant.
- The income thresholds to qualify for the standard rates of student grant have been increased by €1,000.
- The qualifying distance criterion for students to qualify for the non-adjacent rate of grant has been reduced from 45km to 30km, effective from the start of the 2022/23 academic year.
