Clendennen urges county's students to apply for SUSI grant

Offaly Fine Gael TD John Clendennen has called on third level students and families in the county to check if they meet the criteria to apply for the SUSI grant.

The Dáil representative said there had been a significant rise in SUSI grant applications following the expansion of eligibility criteria announced in Budget 2025.

The Student Grant Scheme (SUSI) has already received over 7,500 more applications compared to this time last year, with close to 110,000 applications expected in total.

Key changes introduced in Budget 2025 include:

An increase in the special rate income threshold from €26,200 to €27,400.

A 15% increase in all other maintenance and student contribution grant thresholds.

A rise in the income deduction for student earnings outside term time from €7,925 to €8,424.

Expanded eligibility for students with certain immigration permissions.

Higher thresholds for the Postgraduate Fee Contribution and Part-Time Fee Scheme to €64,315.

Undergraduate students from households with a reckonable income of up to €115,000 may now qualify for financial support.

"The cost of third level education can be a real challenge for many families, and too often students worry about whether they can afford to continue their studies.

“Fine Gael through former Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris and Patrick O’Donovan has over the course of the last 5 Budgets put forward measures to reduce the cost of third level such as improving SUSI grants and expanding eligibility.

“These improvements to the SUSI grant mean that more students than ever before will be able to access financial help, whether that’s support with fees or a maintenance grant to cover day-to-day living costs.

“I want to strongly encourage students and their parents in Offaly to take a few minutes to check the updated thresholds on www.susi.ie.

“Even if you were not eligible in the past, you may now qualify for support under the new rules. No one should miss out on an opportunity to pursue further or higher education because they assume they won’t qualify," Deputy John Clendennen said.

Students planning to attend further or higher education in the 2025/26 academic year can check eligibility and submit an application before the November deadline at www.susi.ie.