SUSI deadline fast approaching

Students are being urged to submit their grant funding applications ahead of the deadline this Friday, July 8.  

The national student grant awarding body, SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland), said it has received just 70,000 of the 110,000 expected applications for funding for the 2016/2017 academic year.

SUSI opened its online application system for new and renewal grants on April 5. Head of Communications at SUSI, Graham Doyle, said “we are expecting to receive approximately 110,000 applications for the 2016/17 academic year. We have received 70,000 applications to-date and we would urge students to apply before the deadline of July 8th to ensure that their applications receive priority.”

The national awarding has already awarded grants to 37,000 students for 2016/17, including almost 8,000 new students, the first time that such applications have been awarded so early.   

Mr Doyle said “we have changed our process this year and are awarding new applicants earlier than ever before. In previous years, Leaving Certificate students had to wait until they received their Leaving Certificate results and CAO offers late in August before we could award them. However, this year, based on learning from previous years, we are awarding students to the courses that they have identified in their applications to us, as soon as possible. We have already awarded almost 8,000 such students which is great news.”

He encouraged students who are considering applying for a grant to visit www.susi.ie where information about eligibility criteria can be found. “In particular, they should use our online ‘grant eligibility reckoner’ where they can quickly, and easily, self-assess whether they may/may not be entitled to a student grant,” Mr Doyle remarked.

Students can use their own SUSI ‘online application trackers’, where they can track the progress of their applications and confirm that documentation has been received without having to contact SUSI directly.