Minister Harris urges people to have their say on Review of the Student Grant Scheme

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris TD today welcomed the start of a public consultation on the review of the Student Grant Scheme.

This Review was committed to under the current Programme for Government and announced as part of Budget 2021.

The Review’s terms of reference include examining the value of the maintenance grants and income thresholds, the availability of grants for part-time students, adjacent and non-adjacent rates, supports for postgraduates and how Ireland compares against other jurisdictions.

Speaking today, Minister Harris said: “The Student Grant Scheme has been established since 2012 and every year, it helps over 70,000 students access third level education annually.

“However, the current system needs to be reviewed to determine if it reflects the realities of the current student experience.

“Today, we are formally launching the public consultation on our Student Grant Scheme and we want to hear from you.

“It is essential your voice is heard in this process so we can ensure this review informs the future direction of this scheme and helps access to third level.

“Everybody will have an opportunity to make a submission. I would encourage everybody who has an interest in the future direction of the SUSI scheme to take the time to participate in this consultation process and make their views known.”

A Steering Committee has been put in place to provide oversight and inform the strategic direction of the review.

Membership of the Steering Group is comprised of representatives from a wide range of stakeholders within the sector and includes: Union of Students Ireland (USI); the Department of Social Protection; SOLAS; Higher Education Authority (HEA); Irish University Association (IUA); Technological Higher Education Association (THEA) and City of Dublin ETB (CDETB), among others.

The final report will be presented to Minister Harris in the autumn and will inform future considerations regarding the development of student grant policy.

The consultation will run until 16th April. Details of the consultation and how to make a submission are available on gov.ie