Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 9 April 2024
1701. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if evidence of independent residency provided to SUSI for a student grant application (details supplied) from a former HSE public health nurse's employer which is a State agency will be accepted as proof of independent living; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14926/24]
View answerFor 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 they have attained the age of 23 on the 1st of January of the year of first entry to an approved course, and are not ordinarily resident with their parents from the previous 1st October. Otherwise, they 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 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 they:
• Progress from further education to higher education.
• Are returning following a 3 year break in studies.
• Are returning as a "second chance" student after a 3 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).
Officials in my Department have advised me that the student referred to by the Deputy applied to SUSI for funding as an independent student and evidence of their independent residence for 2022 and 2023 was requested. As the letter submitted from the student’s employer is not one of the awarding authority’s listed accepted documents to confirm independent residency, their application was refused and a letter advising the student of this was sent on 21st March 2024. To date, SUSI has not received a request to appeal this decision from the student.
If an individual applicant considers that 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.
Where an individual applicant has had an appeal turned down in writing by SUSI and remains 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. Such appeals can be made by the appellant online via www.studentgrantappeals.ie.
