The main support available to assist students with the cost of attending higher education is:
• The Student Grant Scheme which provides grant assistance to eligible students attending an approved course in an approved institution who meet the prescribed conditions of funding, including those relating to nationality, residency, previous academic attainment and means.
• A Part-Time Fee Scheme for Specified Undergraduate Courses which provides fee support to eligible part-time students attending specified publicly funded undergraduate courses leading to a major award. This includes specified in person and blended/hybrid courses and its aim is to provide additional flexibility in respect of course provision to students who are socio-economically disadvantaged.
It is important to note that the decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter, in the first instance, for SUSI to determine.
I can provide the Deputy with the requested information as follows:
The number of students from County Clare who applied for and received SUSI grants in the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 academic years are as follows:
In 2024/25, 2,870 applied, 2,393 were awarded and 2,286 were paid.
In 2025/26, 3,263 applied, 2,711 were awarded and 2,589 were paid. The Deputy should note that these figures are likely to change as SUSI continues to process applications for academic year 2025/26.
It is worth stating that around 94% of awarded students will receive some form of a grant. SUSI seeks confirmation of registration from the relevant institutions before a student is paid a grant. Some students who are at awarded status will not take up their chosen course for various reasons, which explains the difference between awarded and paid status.
The average award value for Clare recipients was €4,104 in 2024/25 and €4,329 in 2025/26
The number of applications from Clare students were refused on income grounds where the student subsequently appealed and was successful was six in 2024/25 and eight in 2025/26
Budget 2026 provided significant improvements to student supports for the 2026/27 academic year. These enhancements include an increase in all non-adjacent maintenance rates and an increase of the SUSI threshold up to €120,000. I will continue to work to ensure that changes to the scheme benefit learners and their families in addressing costs of further and higher education.
