The main support available to students is the statutory based Student Grant Scheme administered by SUSI. The Student Grant Scheme supports eligible postgraduate students with the cost of attending higher education. Budget 2021 provided for enhanced postgraduate supports from the 2021/22 academic year including the fee grant amount rising from €2,000 to €3,500 and the income threshold for eligibility for these grants increasing from €31,500, now €54,240. This is an initial step in meeting part of the Government’s commitments regarding SUSI grant support. This increase will allay some of the costs for postgraduate study and give greater certainty for students in terms of supports.
For the academic year 2022/23, there are significant enhancements to the financial supports that students who need them most receive through the Student Grant Scheme; where:
- There will be 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 threshold to qualify for the standard rate of student grant will be increased by €1,000;
- The qualifying distance criterion for students to qualify for the non-adjacent rate of grant will be reduced from 45km to 30km.
Apart from the student grant a number of supports are available to assist postgraduate research students in their studies. This includes a range of grants from research funders, institutional scholarships, as well as supports through Student Assistance Fund. Research students in receipt of grants must comply with the terms of their funding award from these bodies, which can vary from funder to funder.
The next National R&I strategy is currently under development and will reflect themes relating to positioning Ireland as a leader in: supporting rewarding careers in research; facilitating a research culture that encourages the flow of talent and ideas across an R&I system that attracts, retains and celebrates diversity of people and careers.
The postgraduate office within the higher education institution would also be able to advise on funding supports.
The Basic Income for the Arts pilot scheme was recently launched by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. I understand that the objective of the scheme is to address the financial instability faced by those working in the arts so it would not be analogous to the funding of postgraduate students.
