Cork students are urged to apply for Susi grant scheme before November deadline

More than 100,000 applications are expected under the Student Grant Scheme (SUSI) this year, with students across Cork encouraged to apply before November.

The Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, James Lawless TD, said that there has been a significant rise in applications to the scheme since the expansion of eligibility criteria was announced last year in Budget 2025.

Mr Lawless said that there has been more than 7,500 applications received so far this year, with up to 110,000 applications expected in total.

Key changes introduced for SUSI in Budget 2025 included 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; and higher thresholds for the postgraduate fee contribution and part-time fee scheme to €64,315.

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

Fine Gael Cork North Central TD Colm Burke said 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”.

“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,” said Mr Burke.

“I want to strongly encourage students and their parents in Cork to take a few minutes to check the updated thresholds.

“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."

Students planning to attend further or higher education throughout the 2025/2026 academic year can check their eligibility and submit an application online via the SUSI website.

For further information, visit: https://www.susi.ie/.