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SUSI Student Grant

Fees + Maintenance

Last checked October 2026 · Updated 13 October 2026

What it is

The main means-tested grant for third-level fees and living costs, including for an approved undergraduate course in the UK or another EU country. It also covers a PLC or post leaving certificate course, but there it is the maintenance grant only, because the scheme excludes PLC from the fee grant. The priority assessment date for 2026/27 was 9 July 2026. SUSI says it will keep accepting applications after that date but they do not get priority assessment, so check susi.ie for the closing date. Budget 2027 announced that all maintenance grant rates rise by 4.5% from January 2027. It also announced a permanent €150 cut to the student contribution fee, with no start date given yet. From September 2027, households with combined income of up to €150,000 and more than one student in higher education may qualify for a €500 student contribution grant for each eligible student. Check susi.ie for the new rates.

Who can get it

You are going to an approved third-level course in Ireland or an approved undergraduate course in the UK or another EU country
You are on an approved PLC (post leaving certificate) course, where it pays the maintenance grant only
It is means-tested, so your household income must be within the limits

Good to know

What changed for 2026/27: the income threshold for the €500 student contribution grant rose from €115,000 to €120,000, the special rate threshold rose from €27,400 to €28,600 and the postgraduate fee contribution grant rose by €500 to €4,500. The student contribution charge itself was cut permanently by €500 to €2,500 from 2025/26.
Studying outside Ireland does not rule you out on its own, for an UNDERGRADUATE course: an approved full-time course of at least two years in the UK (including Northern Ireland) or in another EU country can qualify, though it is the maintenance grant that travels, the fee supports attach to Irish institutions. Postgraduate is different: SUSI only covers postgraduate courses in Ireland and in four approved institutions in Northern Ireland, so a Masters in England, Scotland or Wales gets nothing from SUSI.
A different, separate rule applies if you yourself (not your course) have been living in the EU, EEA, UK or Switzerland rather than Ireland for 3 of the last 5 years: you are classed as a 'tuition student', eligible for the fee grant only, not the maintenance grant. SUSI says tuition students pursuing a course outside the State are not eligible for grant funding at all.
You cannot get the maintenance grant if you are on Back to Education Allowance or a VTOS allowance.
PLC and post leaving certificate courses get the maintenance grant only. For 2026/27 that is €1,866 to €4,722 a year where the college is 30km or more from home, €612 to €1,774 where it is nearer, and €7,936 or €3,230 on the special rate. The first income band is €47,010 for a household with fewer than four dependent children, measured on income for the whole of 2025. It is paid in nine instalments between October and June, and only after the college confirms attendance each month.
A PLC course is not free even with a grant. The €200 participant contribution was abolished from 2022/23, but the Department says ETBs can still charge for books, uniforms, student services, registration, exam fees and deposits. It says the amounts vary from one ETB to the next. For example Donegal ETB charges a €100 registration fee. QQI charges €50 for a level 5 award and €80 for level 6, with waivers available to social welfare recipients and medical card holders. Donegal ETB also lists people eligible under the student grant scheme as exempt from its €50 QQI exam fee. Ask the college what its own charges are.
Already holding a level 5 award, a level 6 award or any degree rules you out of a PLC grant. The exceptions are a level 5 award held when the new course offers progression and a student starting one of the approved courses listed in Part C of Schedule 2 of the Regulations for the first time. Grant aid at PLC level is capped at three years in total. On certain approved courses the cap is five years.

How to apply

Applications go through SUSI. The official page has the full eligibility rules and the application itself.

Go to the official page →

Checked against the official source on 7 October 2026. Last updated on 13 October 2026. Always confirm the details on the official page before applying.

Questions people ask

Can I get a SUSI grant if my child is studying in the UK or another EU country?

For a full-time undergraduate course, yes in most cases: an approved course in the UK (including Northern Ireland) or in another EU country can qualify, subject to the normal nationality, residence and means conditions. What travels abroad is the maintenance grant, the fee supports apply to Irish institutions. Postgraduate is different: SUSI only covers postgraduate courses in Ireland and in four approved institutions in Northern Ireland, so a Masters in England, Scotland or Wales gets nothing from SUSI.

How much is the student contribution charge for 2026/27?

€2,500. It was permanently cut by €500 from €3,000. If your household income is under €120,000 (the limit is higher for larger families) you pay no more than €2,000, because the €500 student contribution grant covers the rest. At lower incomes SUSI covers half or all of the charge, so €2,000 is the most an eligible family pays, not the standard bill.

My son or daughter is doing a PLC course. Is there a grant?

Yes, the maintenance grant, which is money towards living costs paid into the student's own bank account in nine instalments from October to June. There is no fee grant at PLC level, so nothing is paid towards the college's own charges. How much depends on household income and on whether the college is 30km or more from home: €1,866 to €4,722 a year if it is, €612 to €1,774 if it is nearer, and €7,936 or €3,230 on the special rate, which needs a qualifying long-term welfare payment as well as a low income. The course must be on SOLAS's approved list, full time, at least a year long and leading to a major level 5 or 6 award.

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