Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 18 October 2023
297. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if a third level student who is completely estranged from their parents, but has not reached the age of 23 years, can apply for support through a SUSI grant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45726/23]
View answerThe 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.
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 (ie: assessed without reference to parental income).
A student may be assessed as an independent mature student if they have 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 their parent(s) or legal guardian(s) from the previous 1st October.
A student under the age of 23 may be assessed without reference to parental income only in exceptional cases, for example orphans, students in foster care, cases where there is evidence of irreconcilable estrangement from parents or legal guardians etc. Applicants are requested to share documentary evidence with SUSI to confirm their situation. The type of documentary evidence required is dependent on the applicant’s individual circumstances and may vary widely from case to case. This approach is taken with a view to giving applicants the flexibility to provide documents that relate to their specific circumstances.
If an applicant considers they have been unjustly refused a student grant, or that the rate of grant awarded is not the correct one, they may appeal, in the first instance, to SUSI. If they have had an appeal turned down in writing by an appeals officer in SUSI and remain of the view that the scheme has not been interpreted correctly in their case, an appeal may be submitted to the independent Student Grants Appeals Board within the required timeframe (i.e. not later than 30 days after the notification of the determination of the appeals officer to the applicant).
Such appeals can be made by the appellant on line via www.studentgrantappeals.ie.
