Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 21 September 2023
91. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of SUSI grants that have been granted/refused in the current year; the action proposed to ensure that grants are available to the greatest extent possible, having regard to individual circumstances and the possible necessity of improving the qualification limits; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40703/23]
View answerAs of the start of this week, some 90,100 applications have been made to the Student Grant Scheme.
68,300 have been awarded and 6,900 have been refused. A further 2,300 were cancelled. Over 12,000 applications are awaiting assessment, or require further documentation to be provided. The figures for the 2023/24 academic year are likely to change as processing is ongoing and more applications are made.
As Minister I am very aware of the need to ensure that the student grant scheme reflects the needs of learners and families.
In Budget 2023 I introduced a number of measures which extended supports and allowed more people to qualify this academic year.
• The income threshold to qualify for the Student Contribution 50% Grant has increased from €55,240 to €62,000.
• In addition I created a new student contribution grant of €500 for incomes between €62,000 and €100,000.
These measures have the potential to benefit tens of thousands of students. I would urge students and their families who may never have applied for a Student Grant before to now check whether they are eligible for support towards their student contribution charge via the SUSI website.
I also brought in other changes effective from September which could impact on a student's eligibility
The deduction allowable for student earnings outside of term time increased from €4500 to €6552 which allows students to earn more effectively reducing their reckonable income assessed. This is for further consideration in the options paper.
I will be also be considering all options available in the context of Budget 2024 to ensure the scheme continues to evolve to meet the costs of education for families.
