Ninth Level Ireland

“The cost of college is frequently a barrier to accessing education for many students, and with the first installment of the SUSI grant not set to be paid until October 8th, it is going to be particularly hard this year for many to make ends meet. This week, The University Times spoke to recipients of the grant about the later-than-normal first payment …” (more)

[University Times, 6 September]

“Students in receipt of the SUSI grant have said they will struggle financially due to the late payment of the first instalment on October 8th. The date of the first instalment, SUSI said, is due to later registration dates in colleges as a result of the late issuing of CAO offers …” (more)

[Mairead Maguire, University Times, 2 September]

“Our Social Affairs Correspondent Ailbhe Conneely has this report on calls for the Government to widen access to the Student Universal Support Scheme …” (podcast)

[RTÉ – News at One, 25 August]

“Sir, – Peter is a bright lad from Kerry. His heart is set on studying veterinary medicine in UCD, but he didn’t list that course on his CAO application form. Peter’s family can’t come up with €14,000 per annum to cover Peter’s college costs. His parents earn a combined gross annual income of €40,000, which makes Peter ineligible for a college grant …” (more)

[Billy Ryle, Irish Times, 25 August]

“The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) has said that SUSI recipients will struggle financially at the start of term due to the late date of the first payment of the grant. Recipients will not receive the first instalment of the maintenance grant until October 8th – several weeks after college begins for most …” (more)

[Mairead Maguire, University Times, 24 August]

“The breakdown of the cost of college will surprise few in third level. But at this time of year, when the cost of going back to school is all over the media, students deserve a look in, writes the Editorial Board. Going to college is now simply accepted as being expensive in Ireland. It shouldn’t be …” (more)

[University Times, 22 August]

“After months of fighting for the exclusion of PUP payments in assessment for SUSI, Sinn Féin spokesperson on Further and Higher Education, Rose Conway-Walsh TD, has received assurance that no students will be denied or pushed out of SUSI for accepting the PUP. The Minister has confirmed on the floor of the Dáil that all students have the right to reapply based on the 2021 year and have PUP earned by a student excluded from the calculation. Teachta Conway-Walsh said …” (more)

[Sinn Féin, 13 July]

“Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the percentage of SUSI funding that goes towards covering the student contribution charge in each year since 2011; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 29 April]

“Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will consider amending the Student Support Act 2011 to support Irish students studying within the EU who would qualify for SUSI support if they were studying in Ireland; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that third-level education fees are lower in most other EU states than they are in Ireland; the estimated cost of such a change; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 28 April]

“The Society of St Vincent de Paul have joined calls by the Union of Students in Ireland to reform the SUSI grant scheme ahead of a full return to college. The funding model has been described as ‘not fit for purpose’ and no longer in line with the cost of living …” (more)

[Teresa Mannion, RTÉ News, 23 April]

“Emails sent to Further and Higher Education Minister Simon Harris have revealed some of the barriers facing third-level students when it comes to accessing financial support for their studies. Students who are unemployed, homeless, or parents of young children are among those who wrote to Mr Harris last summer about the Susi grant for third-level education …” (more)

[Jess Casey, Irish Examiner, 21 April]

“Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to the data provided on foot of a recent freedom of information request (details supplied); the analysis his Department has carried out across third-level institutions which fall under the responsibility of his Department into the fining of students for the late payment of registration fees; if this issue will be examined as part of the ongoing review of Higher Education Authority legislation; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dail written answers, 1 April]

“Alan Farrell (Dublin Fingal, Fine Gael): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the post-Brexit treatment of Irish students attending UK universities in terms of funding and State support; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 31 March]

“Renewal applications for the student grant scheme for the 2021-22 academic year will open on Thursday, while a number of improvements have been made for the most disadvantaged students, Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris has said. These include an increase in the postgraduate fee grant and an increase in the income threshold, while a number of Department of Social Protection and other payments are to be included as income disregards …” (more)

[Colin Gleeson, Irish Times, 1 April]

“An overhaul of the student grant scheme is to be announced today. Among the changes are an increase in the postgraduate fee grant and qualifying income threshold. The scheme opens for renewal applications today. The changes to the SUSI scheme are effective for the coming 2021/22 academic year …” (more)

[Jess Casey, Irish Examiner, 1 April]

“The Department of Higher Education has launched a public consultation reviewing SUSI, with submissions closing on April 16th. The terms of reference of the public consultation include reviewing SUSI eligibility criteria, reviewing income thresholds, review of the SUSI maintenance grant, comparison of student supports with other European countries, examination of costs for postgraduate students and determining the real cost of attending higher education in Ireland …” (more)

[Sárán Fogarty, University Times, 18 March]

“Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris today welcomed the start of a public consultation on the review of the Student Grant Scheme. This Review was committed to under the current Programme for Government and announced as part of Budget 2021 …” (more)

[gov.ie, 12 March]

“Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if pandemic unemployment payments will be assessed as reckonable income for special rates of SUSI grants in 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 10 February]

“The IUA welcomes today’s announcement by Minister Simon Harris TD, of an investment of €3.2m in 2021 to address the funding gap for Irish Research Council (IRC) postgraduate students and post-doctoral researchers. IRC postgraduate students will now receive a stipend similar to that offered by other national funders. For IRC postdoctoral researchers, this now brings their salaries in line with those agreed under the National Researcher Career Framework, recently published by the IUA …” (more)

[IUA, 29 January]

“Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris TD has today (29 January 2021) announced an increase in the value of the Irish Research Council’s research scholarships and fellowships. The enhanced funding of €3.2 million to the Council will better support postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers in Ireland across all disciplines …” (more)

[gov.ie, 29 January]