Student Grant Scheme

Who qualifies for a student grant?

To qualify for a student grant, you must meet all the conditions of the scheme. These include:

1. Nationality condition
2. Residence condition
3. Means test
4. Approved course of study: you must be attending an approved course of study
5. Progression: you must be progressing from your previous level of study
6. Maximum period of grant assistance

We cover each of these conditions below.

1. Nationality condition

To get a student grant you must be a citizen of:

• Ireland
• UK
• An EU or EEA country
• Switzerland

If you are not a citizen of one of these countries, you may still qualify for a grant if:

• You have refugee status.
• You have subsidiary protection status.
• You are the family member of an EU/EEA citizen.
• You are the spouse, civil partner or dependent child of an Irish citizen.
• You were granted ‘leave to remain’ under Section 3 of the Immigration Act 1999. This is also called residency following a notification of intention to deport.
• You were granted ‘leave to remain’ under Section 49 of the International Protection Act 2015.
• You were granted Humanitarian Leave to Remain before the commencement of the Immigration Act 1999.
• You are an applicant for International Protection who qualifies for the Student Support Scheme for Asylum Seekers (see below).

You should have received a letter that states under what provision you have been granted residence. If you have residency that was granted for a reason other than those described above (for example, because you are the parent of an Irish citizen child) you do not qualify for a student grant, even if you have a Stamp 4.

Student Support Scheme for Asylum Seekers

The Student Support Scheme for Asylum Seekers provides supports in line with the Student Grant Scheme to students living in direct provision or who are in the international protection system.

You must meet the following criteria:

• Meet the definition of a protection applicant or a person at leave to remain stage (other than those at the deportation order stage)
• Have been accepted on an approved Post Leaving Certificate course or an approved undergraduate course
• Have been part of an application for protection or leave to remain for a combined period of 3 years on 31 August 2020
• Have been resident in the State for a combined period of 3 years on 31 August 2020

You can read more about how to apply for the Student Support Scheme for Asylum Seekers and download an application form. The closing date for 2020-2021 applications is 6 November 2020.

2. Residence condition

You must have been resident in the State for 3 of the previous 5 years to qualify for a maintenance grant. However, if you are temporarily resident elsewhere in the EU in order to pursue a course of study for a recognised qualification, and you were resident in the State for 3 of the 5 years before starting that course, you satisfy this requirement.

If you fulfil all the criteria for a maintenance grant except for the residence condition in the State, you may still qualify for a fee grant or a postgraduate fee contribution as a tuition student.

3. Means test

The means test for a student grant in 2020-2021 is based on you or your family’s gross income for the previous full tax year (2019). However, if you or your family have had a change of circumstances (which is likely to be permanent) since 31 December 2019, your changed circumstances will be taken into account.

Reckonable income for a student grant is gross income from all sources. Some social welfare payments are excluded from ‘reckonable income’ for the purposes of student grants – see more details on reckonable income on susi.ie and also in the Student Grant Scheme 2020 (pdf).

If you were ordinarily resident with your parent(s) from October 1 of the year before the year of entry to the course, you are considered dependent on your parent(s) and your income (if any) is assessed together with your parents’ income(s). An allowance is made for your earnings outside of term-time – up to €4,500. Outside term time is 2 weeks at Christmas, 2 weeks at Easter and 12 weeks during the summer months of June, July and August only. (Holiday pay earned outside these periods may also be allowed on receipt of a letter from the school/college confirming the exact dates of term).

Independent mature candidates are candidates aged 23 or over on 1 January in the year of entry to the course. To be assessed as an independent mature candidate you must also live separately from your parents from 1 October of the year before the year of entry to the course. If you are an independent student, you are assessed on your own income (and that of your spouse, civil partner or cohabitant, if applicable).

The only points at which you can be reclassified from a dependent student to an independent student are when you:

• Progress from further education to higher education or
• Have a 3-year break in your studies or
• Are returning as a second-change student after a 5-year break in your studies.

Income limits for maintenance grant and full fee grant

The family income limits for eligibility for a maintenance grant in 2020-2021 are set out below. These income limits are applied after your means are assessed – see ‘Means test’ above. The income limits also apply to the grant (that is, if you don’t qualify for the free fees scheme and are eligible for a fee grant).

Number of dependent children	Full maintenance	Part maintenance (75%)	Part maintenance (50%)	Part maintenance (25%)
Less than 4	€39,875	€40,970	€43,380	€45,790
4 to 7	€43,810	€45,025	€47,670	€50,325
8 or more	€47,575	€48,890	€51,760	€54,630

Income limits for partial fee grant

The family income limits for eligibility for a partial fee grant in 2020-2021 are set out below.

Number of dependent children	50% tuition fees and 100% student contribution	50% student contribution only
Fewer than 4	€49,840	€54,240
4 to 7	€54,765	€59,595
8 or more	€59,455	€64,700

The 50% tuition fee is not payable if your fees are covered under the Free Fees Scheme.

Other family members in college

The reckonable income limits may be increased for each additional family member who is doing a full-time course of at least one year’s duration:

• In full maintenance and partial fee grant categoriesby €4,830
• In part maintenance 75%, 50% and 25% categoriesby €4,670

If you are an independent applicant, the family member taken into account is your spouse, civil partner or cohabitant. If you are dependent on your parents, the family members taken into account are your parent(s) and their other dependent children.

4. Approved course of study

You must be attending a course that is approved for a student grant. You can read a list of approved institutions and courses on SUSI’s website.

5. Progression

In general, you do not get a grant for repeating a year or attending a course at a level that does not represent progression from your previous studies.

However, second-chance students may be eligible for a grant. A second-chance student is someone who is aged over 23, did not successfully complete an earlier course and is returning to do an approved course after a full break in studies of at least 5 years. You may do a course during this 5-year break and still qualify as a second-chance student, if the course was below undergraduate level and meets the progression rules.

6. Maximum period of grant assistance

You do not qualify for the Student Grant Scheme if you have already got a grant for the maximum number of years allowed for the level of study you are undertaking.

Other financial supports for students

You can read more about the Fund for Students with Disabilities, the Student Assistance Fund and some third-level scholarships in our document on Financial supports for students.

There is detailed information on the range of grants and funds for students in further and higher education on the website studentfinance.ie.