Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 10 February 2026
1249. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the measures currently in place and any plans under consideration to reduce the financial burden on parents of students undertaking postgraduate education; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9683/26]
View answerOne of my priorities as Minister is to ensure that students are put first. I am working hard with the Government to make education more affordable and accessible, and to provide targeted support for those who need it most. The package of measures announced in Budget 2026 are delivering real, lasting change, and I fully intend on continuing to support students further in the future.
From September 2024, student maintenance grants for post-graduates were fully restored for the first time since the financial crash. The annual rates and income thresholds for maintenance grants are now the same for undergraduate and postgraduate students.
There are three types of funding available to eligible postgraduate students.
Postgraduate fee contribution of up to €4,500 and a maintenance grant
This fee has been increased from €4,000 to €4,500 as a result of a permanent uplift announced in Budget 2026. To be eligible for the fee contribution grant of up to €4,500 plus a maintenance grant, the total household income must be within the income thresholds for the SUSI grant, the same as those used at undergraduate level.
Postgraduate tuition fee grant of up to €6,270 plus a maintenance grant.
To receive the postgraduate fee grant you must meet the criteria for the Special Rate of Grant and
• Be eligible for the ordinary rate of grant;
• Your total reckonable household income must not exceed the special rate income thresholds; and
• On 31 December of the previous year to your application, the reckonable household income must include an eligible long-term Department of Social Protection payment as prescribed in the Student Grant Scheme for the relevant year or its equivalence from an EU Member State.
Postgraduate fee contribution grant
• Postgraduate fee contribution grant of up to €4,500.
• To be eligible for the fee contribution grant of up to €4,500 the total household income must be within the income thresholds.
I would encourage students to access the SUSI website www.susi.ie to check if they are eligible for a grant. Postgraduate Income Thresholds and Grant Award Rates | SUSI (www.susi.ie/eligibility-criteria/income/postgraduate-income-thresholds-and-grant-award-rates)
If a student is experiencing exceptional financial need they may be eligible to apply for supports under the Student Assistance Fund (SAF). This Fund assists students in a sensitive and compassionate manner, who might otherwise be unable to continue their third level studies due to their financial circumstances. SAF is open to both full and part-time registered students on courses of not less than one year's duration including postgraduate qualification and can be accessed through the access officer within the institution. More information on this fund and other supports are also available at www.studentfinance.ie or from the institutions access office.
While it is the Department’s priority to continue to try and make improvements for all student’s you will appreciate that the funding allocation for the Student Grant Scheme is determined in the context of the overall estimates and budgetary process undertaken by all Government Departments.
