Ninth Level Ireland

“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]

“Many students will be familiar with the process of applying for a grant from Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI). It is a long process which demands attention and various details of the student and their families finances. Many students find it a confusing process. Although, not just for students it seems …” (more)

[Taidgh Beahan, The College View, 6 February]

“Academic Registry, according to its website, ‘is responsible for services that support the complete student lifecycle of Trinity College Dublin – from application to graduation’. As such, it is the College unit in charge of things like registration, exams and fees …” (more)

[University Times, 21 January]

“Jack Power, Irish Times reporter, discusses the news that Trinity College Dublin is hoping to recover €1.7m after 509 students were undercharged registration fees over the past three years” (podcast).

[RTÉ – Drivetime, 17 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]

“The government has confirmed it will continue supporting students applying to universities in the United Kingdom as well as Northern Ireland pupils wishing to study here after Brexit. Pupils from Northern Ireland expressed concern over whether they will be treated as non-EU students after the UK leaves the European Union in March, meaning they would have to pay much higher fees …” (more)

[BreakingNews.ie, 11 January]

“Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated first and full year cost of abolishing third-level fees …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 6 November]

“There have been claims that Budget 2019 does ‘very little to address the growing crisis in third-level funding’. The Irish Universities Association has said that the extra €57m allotted to them ‘only allows the system to tread water’ and will impact on the education and prospect of the next generation of graduates …” (more)

[Independent, 9 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]

“New applications for student grants are down more than 2,000 so far this year, figures from the awarding body reveal. Of nearly 72,000 applications received by Student Universal Support Ireland (Susi) up to the start of the week, 34,050 are from new applicants who are mostly people who did the Leaving Certificate in June. That is down from 36,376 at the same stage a year ago, and from nearly 38,300 in 2016 …” (more)

[Niall Murray, Irish Examiner, 7 July]

“More than €2.8m in overpayments of grants for college students were outstanding at the end of 2016. The figures include €1.6m paid incorrectly during that year arising from ongoing assessments by Student Universal Support Ireland (Susi) in relation to eligibility for grants or students withdrawing from courses …” (more)

[Niall Murray, Irish Examiner, 10 February]

“Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the cost of restoring SUSI grant rates and thresholds to pre-2011 levels; and the number of estimated additional students that would be eligible under the scheme if grants were restored to these levels …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 7 November]

“Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when the recommendations of the all-party committee will be implemented to allow all full time low-income QQI degree students receive their SUSI entitlement and to allow them access to the HEA student hardship fund; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 26 October]

“Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to increase funding for and make changes to the SUSI grant to deliver increases in grants for students in view of the rise in the costs of living; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 25 October]

Recommendations: ‘… The Committee further recommends that, subject to the course and college being QQI approved, eligibility for a maintenance grant should be based on the means of the student rather than on the choice of college. This approach could result in an increase in competition among colleges and may reduce costs. The Committee further recommends that students enrolled at private colleges should, if eligible under the relevant SUSI criteria, be entitled to the same value of SUSI funding for payment of annual degree course fees that they would receive at an equivalent course in a state funded higher education institution. The Committee further recommends that students enrolled in private colleges should be entitled to access the Student Assistance Fund.’

“15 asylum seekers sought a grant to attend third-level education in 2016, and two were successful. The number of those who applied also dropped from 39 in 2015 to 15 in 2016. The grant scheme is operated by the Department of Education to offer financial aid to school leavers who are in the protection scheme or have come through it …” (more)

[Niamh Keating, Trinity News, 15 September]

“College grant applications have seen a drop in compared to recent years, a total of 87,738 claims were made for support for fees and living expenses, which was 0.3% less than last year’s figure. An increase in Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) applications was to be expected …” (more)

[Cian Mac Lochlainn, Trinity News, 5 August]

“The new minister for higher education has been warned of an ‘unprecedented demand’ for affordable student accommodation. Mary Mitchell O’Connor has been told of the ‘significant challenges’ in addressing the issue, as parents and students face into the scramble to find accommodation for the academic year ahead …” (more)

[Cormac McQuinn, Independent, 25 July]

“Rising employment and income levels have seen grant applications drop, despite funding being available again for postgraduate students this year. At the close of applications this week, the total number of claims for support with fees and living costs was 87,738 which was 0.3%, or 264, less than the same time last year …” (more)

[Niall Murray, Irish Examiner, 15 July]