New data on student grants

The overall number of students in receipt of a grant in Ireland is set to increase following a period of decline. However, the student grant recipient population has not kept in line with the overall increase in the size of the student population in higher education.

This is according to new data released by the Higher Education Authority under a Data Sharing Agreement with Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI), the national grant awarding authority.

The percentage of students in receipt of a grant declined from 33% in 2018/2019 to 26% in 2022/23 – a time, which according to HEA statistics – full-time student numbers increased overall by 7%. However, following changes to the eligibility criteria for student funding, the overall number of students in receipt of a grant in 2023/24 is anticipated to increase.

Grant recipients are more likely to be female (57%) and older than the overall student population (29% over 30).  They are more likely to choose certain fields of study (such as Services – leisure and hospitality, or Arts & Humanities) than non-recipient students (such as Social Sciences or Engineering).

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