Ninth Level Ireland

“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]

“Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will direct SUSI to amend the grant adjacency rates and restore it to the previous 24 km limit, instead of the current 42 km, which is acting as a barrier to third level education for many students in the midlands; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 26 June]

“To mark World Refugee Day, the Irish Universities Association (IUA) and the Irish Refugee Council (IRC) are delighted to jointly welcome a rule change in the Department of Education and Skills Student Support Scheme for students living in direct provision, which will allow a greater number of young people in or having come through direct provision to gain a financially supported place in an Irish university …” (more)

[IUA, 20 June]

“Student grant rules for eligible Irish students in UK higher education institutions and UK students in Irish HEIs remain as usual for 2019/20. The Minister for Education and Skills Joe McHugh TD and Minister of State for Higher Education Mary Mitchell O’Connor TD today announced the opening of the Student Grant Scheme for applications for the 2019/20 academic year and highlighted a number of improvements that will benefit some of the most disadvantaged students …” (more)

[Department of Education and Skills, 25 April]

“Irish students who want to study in the UK after Brexit, or UK students who want to attend third-level here, have certainty about continuation of the current fees regime for the duration of their studies if they start this September. Nor will there be any change to student grants, and Irish students in the UK will also be able to access student loans there …” (more)

[Independent, 6 March]

“Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the position with regard to the restoration of post-graduate grants; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 22 January]

“An administrative oversight led to Trinity College Dublin undercharging students €1.7 million in university fees, which the college is now looking to recover. In total 509 students were undercharged registration fees over the past three years, with some students and recent graduates now owing the university as much as €9,000 …” (more)

[Jack Power, Irish Times, 16 January]

“Some Trinity students and graduates are faced with paying outstanding fees from previous years, due to administrative confusion over the SUSI grant. Over the past three years, students whose grants fell short of what they expected were never charged for the remainder of their fees …” (more)

[Eleanor O’Mahony, University Times, 15 January]

“Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the cost of increasing the third-level maintenance grant by 10%, 20% and 30%, respectively; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 8 November]

“Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated full year cost of continuing the restoration of postgraduate grants with the restoration of the partial band rate; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 25 October]

“There will be no increase to the third-level grant received by students in the Budget despite spiralling rents, the Irish Independent understands. Increasing the Susi grant has not featured in any of the budgetary discussions that have taken place up to now …” (more)

[Kevin Doyle, Independent, 21 August]