Ninth Level Ireland

“To ensure accessibility of education and the well-being of its students, UCD should make its fees proportional to parental income. Not all fees are covered by the free fees initiative and Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI). The most daunting factor of university is accommodation. With the rising cost of living in Dublin, any undue financial burden could keep a student from being able to attend school …” (more)

[University Observer, 12 October]

“On Thursday, 3rd October the Union of Students in Ireland are hosting the National Demonstration to Break the Barriers to higher education. Currently, some of the barriers to education include: Ireland has the second-highest fees in the EU [will be the highest after Brexit]; …” (more)

[USI, 30 September]

“John Brassil (Kerry, Fianna Fail): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if the SUSI grant income threshold for families will be increased to the same amount as the affordable childcare scheme to reflect the growing costs of college education and rental accommodation for students in view of an announcement (details supplied) by the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 18 September]

“Despite an increasing number of students in higher education, and the rising cost of student accommodation, the number of students eligible for SUSI grants has fallen by six per cent over the past three years. RTÉ this morning reported that SUSI statistics show that 80,000 students availed of the grant last year, down from 85,000 in 2015 …” (more)

[Robert Quinn, University Times, 13 September]

“The number of students being deemed eligible for State SUSI grants is falling while attendance at third-level is rising. SUSI data shows there has been a 6% fall in the number of students getting State grants over the past three years …” (more)

[Emma O Kelly, RTÉ News, 13 September]

“The grant provided by the Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) does not cover even half of the cost of accommodation in Ireland’s major cities, a committee has heard. The SUSI grant, which provides funding to third-level students for fees and maintenance, also fails to reflect the cost of living, particularly for housing …” (more)

[Cate McCurry, Belfast Telegraph, 12 September]

“In January, when news first broke of a mix-up between SUSI and Trinity’s Academic Registry that cost the College €1.7 million in unpaid fees, nobody was very happy with Academic Registry. At the time, it seemed staggering that the College unit with specific responsibility for fees had failed to notice a shortfall worth hundreds of thousands a year …” (more)

[University Times, 8 September]

“The third level SUSI grant and back to school costs will be examined at a special Oireachtas Joint Committee on Education and Skills meeting in advance of the commencement of the Autumn Parliamentary Session …” (more)

[Houses of the Oireachtas, 6 September]

“Over 40% of students awarded grants for higher education this year have received the full grant. The Irish Independent today reported that over 58,000 students have been awarded grants so far this year, with 42% receiving the full grants …” (more)

[Aisling Marren, University Times, 24 August]

“Almost 60,000 students have been awarded third level grants for the coming academic year. A further 20,000 applications are still being processed and another 10,000 are expected to be received by SUSI, the states national awarding authority for third level education. As of this week 58,794 grants have been awarded …” (more)

[Gabija Gataveckaite, Independent, 23 August]

“Higher Education Minister Mary Mitchell O’Connor has been accused of ‘wink-and-elbow politics’ after she made scores of representations on behalf of students whose Susi application was rejected. The Fine Gael minister wants students around the country to contact her office if their application for a grant is rejected by Susi …” (more)

[Hugh O’Connell, Independent, 16 August]

“The Government has been heavily criticised for suggesting students should use their Susi grant to cover the cost of accommodation, or go to regional colleges. Fianna Fáil accused Fine Gael of having a ‘let them eat cake’ attitude to higher education costs facing families, as Leaving Cert students receive their first round CAO offers today …” (more)

[Hugh O’Connell, Independent, 15 August]

“The SUSI grant was never intended to cover the full cost of college, the Minister of State with Special Responsibility for Higher Education has said. Speaking on RTÉ’s Drivetime, Mary Mitchell O’Connor also ruled out a proposal by the incoming President of the National Parents Council Post Primary that the Government could act as co-guarantor for loans that parents have to take out to cover the cost of their children’s third-level education …” (more)

[RTÉ News, 14 August]

“Minister for Higher Education Mary Mitchell O’Connor has advised students to use their grant from the SUSI grant to pay for accommodation increases, amid a funding crisis the government says it can’t tackle until after a general election …” (more)

[Orla Murnaghan, University Times, 14 August]

“Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost of a reduction of €100 to the student contribution at third-level …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 11 July]

“A PhD student will have her monthly grant cut by €400 after a shorter route to her university was calculated via an unnamed road on Google Maps. Niamh Dillon, who is in the second year of her PhD at the University of Limerick, will see her Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) grant cut after the awarding body calculated a shorter distance for her to travel to university …” (more)

[Jess Casey, Irish Examiner, 11 July]

“Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated first and full-year cost of decreasing the non-adjacent rate of third-level grants from 45 km to 24 km; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 10 July]

“The abolition of the student contribution fee would cost the government €229 million, according to Minister for Education Joe McHugh. McHugh, answering questions in the Dáil this week, said the cost of abolishing Ireland’s fees – which currently stand as the second highest in the EU – would hit the budget of the government’s grant scheme …” (more)

[Cormac Watson, University Times, 5 July]

“Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost to abolish higher level education fees for both institutes of technology and universities …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 2 July]

“Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if residents of an accommodation centre are eligible for a SUSI grant or other educational grants …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 26 June]