Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 13 January 2026
2610. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of students in receipt of grant support under the SUSI scheme for each of the years 2023, 2024 and 2025, broken down by level of education under the National Framework of Qualifications and level of grant funding provided, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1688/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra2611. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of students currently enrolled in PLCs in receipt of grant support under the SUSI scheme for each of the years 2023, 2024 and 2025, broken down by level of education under the National Framework of Qualifications and level of grant funding provided, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1689/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 2610 and 2611 together.
The main support available to assist students with the cost of attending higher education is the Student Grant Scheme. Under the Scheme, grant assistance is awarded to eligible students attending an approved course in an approved institution at PLC, undergraduate and postgraduate levels in Ireland and in some cases, to students studying in the UK or EU. Students must 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 commenced in September 2024 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.
The decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter, in the first instance, for SUSI to determine.
The attached document provided by SUSI outlines the data requested by the Deputy.
Please note that fee only awards have not yet been paid as reconciliation of fees occurs in April/May each year. Once reconciliation is complete in Spring 2026, SUSI will pay awarded fees for the 2025/26 academic year directly to the institutions.
Please note that figures for 2025/2026 academic year are likely to change as SUSI continues to process applications.
The Deputy will notice on the attached file that some values of 20 or less are not specified. To ensure compliance with data protection regulations and to safeguard the privacy of grant applicants, SUSI redacts any datasets where the number of values is 20 or less. This measure is taken out of an abundance of caution to prevent the potential identification of individuals, even in anonymised data.
