Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) Student Grant Scheme

The student grant is the main source of financial help available from the Irish State for students in full-time Post Leaving Certificate Courses (PLCs) and full-time higher education undergraduate courses. Support is available to eligible students in approved PLC centres, colleges and universities in Ireland.

For eligible students; the grant is there to help with the various costs of participating in further or higher education. Part-time courses are not currently covered by the student grant scheme. Eligibility for a student grant will depend on your income and other deciding factors such as whether you live with your parents or live independently.

The grant is composed of two parts:

  1. Fee Grant – may contribute towards all or part of the student contribution, essential field trips and/or all or part of the tuition fees not covered by the Free Fees Scheme*.
  2. Maintenance grant – this is a contribution towards a student’s cost of living whilst studying at undergraduate level. It is not payable in the instance where a person is receiving Back to Education Allowance from the Department of Social Protection.

If you think you are eligible for the student grant, you should apply for it as soon as possible. You do not have to wait until you receive an offer of a place or enrol in college. The amount you receive will depend on your income in the year prior to application unless there has been a significant change to your circumstances since then.

Full details on the Student Grant Scheme are available on www.susi.ie