Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 19 October 2023
157. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if his Department is partaking in any work to assess the difficulty and accessibility of the SUSI application process; and if he will consider making the process easier to complete for applicants. [45745/23]
View answerThe Student Grant Scheme is administered by the centralised national grant awarding authority SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland) on behalf of my Department.
SUSI regularly reviews their systems, processes and service to identify improvements in service delivery and have made significant strides in this regard in recent years, through for example the development of an online student portal and a centralised online system for the swift and consistent assessment of grant applications. Continuous improvements (outlined in more detail below) have contributed to SUSI’s ability to meet and exceed the key performance indicators within the Management Framework Agreement (MFA) with my Department. In the academic year 2022/23, the mean time for the initial assessment of an application was within two weeks, and within one week for the assessment of returned documentation.
All applications are made online at susi.ie, where a student creates a SUSI account giving them access to their SUSI student portal, where they have access to detailed help notes to assist them. The SUSI Support Desk can also be accessed via phone, email or social media at any point during the application process. SUSI’s Access Officers are also on hand to provide assistance and guidance to persons with disabilities by way of a direct point of contact for the applicant.
Data sharing agreements with government bodies such as the Department of Social Protection, Revenue Commissioners and CAO have supported the delivery of a streamlined application process and have reduced the need for students to send documentation to SUSI. The launch of SUSI’s new website in January 2023 has also driven awareness of student funding by giving students access to key information and the addition of the eligibility indicator means students can quickly check if they might be eligible for funding.
SUSI run a comprehensive annual stakeholder programme to help build their stakeholders’ understanding of the grant system. This is offered to guidance counsellors, Citizens Information representatives, HEI Access Officers, TUSLA Aftercare Managers and St. Vincent de Paul representatives. Almost 300 stakeholders participated in the training for academic year 23/24.
SUSI also hosts an annual virtual Information Event, enabling them to connect directly with the public, students and stakeholders. The event offers attendees information on the eligibility criteria and application process as well as the chance to ask questions through a private chat facility. The event is recorded and published on the website for those who were unable to join on the day. Over 330 people attended the event for 23/24.
My Department is committed to continually reviewing the Scheme with a view to further enhancing it and working with SUSI to ensure that it is as accessible as possible for all students.
