You must be an Irish, EU, EEA or Swiss National or have specific leave to remain in the State.

You must be ordinarily resident in Ireland, the EU, EEA or Switzerland for 3 of the last 5 years. If you were resident outside the State, it could affect the type of funding you could receive.

You must be progressing in your education (increasing your NFQ level).

You must be attending an approved course in an approved institution.

Who is included in the calculation of your income for grant purposes depends on which class of applicant you are, dependent or independent.  Please note that applicants who apply under the incorrect class will have their applications cancelled and will need to apply again.

Your reckonable income (income calculated for grant purposes) must fall under the specified thresholds. This income will be a factor in determining what type of funding you could receive. 

Funding is only available to students at Postgraduate level for a certain amount of years and depends on their previous education.

Depending on the level of a student’s reckonable income, they may qualify for either a Postgraduate Fee Contribution of €2,000 or a Postgraduate Fee Grant, up to a maximum of €6,270, towards the cost of their fees. In order to receive the maximum funding, students must meet the criteria for the Special Rate of grant.

Postgraduate students who are eligible for the Postgraduate Fee Contribution of €2,000 are not eligible to receive the maintenance grant. However, students who are eligible for the Postgraduate Fee Grant (Special Rate) are also entitled to the special rate of maintenance grant. It should be noted however that students in receipt of Back To Education Allowance (BTEA) and Tuition Students are not eligible for a maintenance grant.

More information can be found on the SUSI Website: https://susi.ie/eligibility-criteria/