Postgraduate student grants

If you are enrolling in a postgraduate course, you may get financial support under the Student Grant Scheme.

Student grant applications for the academic year 2024-2025 are open. You apply online for a student grant (see ‘Applying for a student grant' below).

International protection students

If you are in the international protection system, you may get support through the International Protection Student Scheme (for Further and Higher Education Students) 2023-2024.

The Postgraduate tuition fee grant increased by €1,000 (from €4,000 to €5,000) for students in the 2023-2024 academic year.

From September 2024, there will be a full restoration of maintenance grants under the Student Grant Scheme for postgraduate students.

From January 2024, postgraduate students who meet the income thresholds for the maintenance grant will be paid a maintenance grant - see 'Maintenance grant' below.

You may get financial assistance under the Student Grant Scheme with the cost of tuition fees for approved postgraduate courses in Ireland and Northern Ireland. You cannot get support under the Scheme for courses elsewhere in the EU.

You can qualify for assistance under the Student Grant Scheme in 2 ways.

You may either:

1. Get a flat rate fee contribution of €4,000, if you pass the student grant means test (see ‘Means test’ below), or
2. Get all your tuition fees paid and essential field trips (up to €6,270), if you meet the qualifying conditions for the special rate of grant for disadvantaged students (see ‘Special rate of grant for disadvantaged students’ below)

To qualify for a student grant, you must also meet nationality, immigration and residency criteria.

Maintenance grant

From January 2024, postgraduate students who meet the income thresholds for the maintenance grant will be paid a maintenance grant. It will be paid from January to May for the 2023-2024 academic year. You can find out more about student grant income thresholds and maintenance grant rates.

From September 2024, there will be a full restoration of maintenance grants under the Student Grant Scheme for postgraduate students.

You cannot get a maintenance grant if you are:

• Getting a Back To Education Allowance (BTEA)
• Getting a Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme (VTOS) allowance
• A tuition student

A tuition student is someone who fulfils all the conditions for a student grant except for residence in the State, but who has been resident in an EEA state or Switzerland for 3 of the last 5 years.

To qualify for a student grant, you must also meet nationality, immigration and residency criteria.

Means test

The means test may be carried out on your income and your parent’s income. This depends on whether you are dependent on your parents, or you are considered an independent student.

If you’re dependent on your parents

If you are dependent on your parent(s), your income (if any) is assessed together with your parents' income(s). This means you must give details of your parents’ or legal guardians’ income when filling out your application. You are dependent on your parents if you:

• Are under 23 on 1 January of the year you first enter further or higher education
• Are over 23 on 1 January of the year you enter or re-enter further or higher education, and you live with your parent(s) or legal guardian.

SUSI makes an allowance of up to €7,925 (previously €6,552) for your earnings outside of term-time.

Over 23 and not dependent on your parents

You are considered an ‘independent student’ if you:

• Are aged 23 or over on 1 January in the year of entry to the course, and
• Live independently from October of the year before you first enter or re-enter the course.

If you are an independent student, you are assessed on your own income (and that of your spouse, civil partner or cohabitant, if applicable).

If you were classified as a dependent student, you cannot be reclassified as an independent student unless there is a 3-year break in your studies.

How is the means test calculated?

The means test for a student grant in 2024-2025 is based on yours and your family's gross income for the previous full tax year (2023). However, if you or your family have had a change of circumstances from 1 January 2024, your changed circumstances will be taken into account. See what counts as a change in circumstances on the SUSI website.

SUSI looks at all ’reckonable income’ when assessing your student grant application. Reckonable income is gross income from all sources. Some social welfare payments and financial support payments are excluded - see more details on reckonable income on the SUSI website and in the Student Grant Scheme 2024 (pdf).

The family income limits for a postgraduate fee contribution in 2024-2025 are set out in the table below.

The reckonable income limits may be increased by €4,950 for each additional family member who is on a full-time course of at least one year’s duration.

If you are an independent student, the family member taken into account is your spouse, civil partner or cohabitant. If you are dependent on your parents, the family members taken into account are your parent(s) and their other dependent children.

You can find more information about income limits for the student grant.

Special rate of grant for disadvantaged students

Disadvantaged postgraduate students who meet a number of conditions can get their tuition fees paid and essential field trips (up to €6,270). If you meet the criteria, you may also qualify for a special maintenance grant – see below.

To qualify for the special rate of grant for disadvantaged students:

• You must have met the conditions for the standard maintenance grant under the Student Grant Scheme for the academic year 2024-2025.
• Your total reckonable income in the tax year January to December 2023 must be €26,200 or less, not including Qualified Child Increases and standard exclusions (the reckonable income limit can increase with the number of dependent children) - you can read more about reckonable income for the special rate of maintenance grant.
• Your parents or guardian (or you, if you are an independent student), must be getting certain social welfare payments or participating in a designated programme on 31 December 2023.

Qualifying social welfare payments and programmes include:

• Long-term social welfare payments
• Working Family Payment (WFP)
• Designated programmes (for example, a Community Employment Scheme)

These payments and programmes are listed on the SUSI website and in Schedule 2 of the Student Grant Scheme 2024 (pdf).

You can claim tax relief on postgraduate tuition fees.

You should contact your college or university to find out about scholarships or bursaries. You can also find information on the Higher Education Authority website.

Financial institutions give loans to students to pay for postgraduate courses. Shop around for the best rates.

Online applications for the student grant 2023-2024 closed on 2 November 2023.

Online applications for the student grant 2024-2025 opened on 4 April 2024.

You can read more about how to apply for a student grant.

New postgraduate student grant applications

Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) is the grant-awarding authority that handles all grant applications. You must apply for your grant online.

After you apply, your application will be:

• Awarded and an award letter is sent to you offering you a grant, highlighting the next steps you need to take before your grant can be paid.
• Refused and a refusal letter is sent to you, highlighting the next steps you can take if you want to request a review of your grant decision.

Your grant or fee contribution is awarded when you confirm acceptance of your place (usually late August or early September) and is paid into your designated Irish bank account.

Renewal of postgraduate student grant applications

Postgraduate student grants are reviewed each year. If you had a grant in one academic year and are continuing your studies on the same course in the following year, SUSI will contact you by email and post to remind you to renew your grant application.