Part-time fee scheme for undergraduate courses

The part-time fee scheme is a new financial support scheme for students studying certain part-time undergraduate courses in Ireland and abroad.

The scheme provides fee support to eligible part-time students doing specified undergraduate courses leading to a major award with a minimum average of 30 credits and maximum of 50 credits per academic year. The number of credits undertaken during the academic year will determine the funding available to you for that year (see ‘How much will I get?’ below).

The scheme is available to students currently studying on an approved course, or students starting an approved course for the first time in the 2024/2025 academic year.

The scheme only offers support with fees and is not a maintenance grant.

Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) is the awarding authority for the scheme.

If you are planning to study full-time, read about the Student Grant Scheme.

To qualify for the part-time fee scheme, you must meet the below conditions:

1. Nationality condition
2. Residence condition
3. Means test
4. Approved course of study
5. Progression in education
6. Maximum period of grant assistance

We cover each of these conditions below.

1. Nationality condition

To get a student grant you must be a citizen of:

• Ireland
• UK
• An EU or EEA country
• Switzerland

If you are not a citizen of one of these countries, you may still qualify for a grant if you have refugee status, or have an immigration status or leave to remain permission accepted by SUSI.

2. Residence condition

You must have been resident in the State for 3 of the previous 5 years to qualify for a part-time fee grant.

3. Means test

The part-time fee scheme is means-tested and a student’s total reckonable household income must fall below specific income thresholds.

The means test for 2024-2025 is based on your and your family's gross income for the previous full tax year (2023).

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.

For the part-time fee scheme, up to €7,925 of your earnings during the previous calendar year can be deducted from your reckonable income.

Your applicant class determines whose income is included in the income calculation for grant assessment purposes. There are 3 types of applicant class:

• Dependent student
• Mature dependent student
• Independent student

Read more about reckonable income on the SUSI website.

Income limits for part-time fee scheme

The maximum income limits for eligibility for the part-time fee scheme in 2024-2025 are set out below:

An income limit increase of €4,950 applies for each additional person attending a full-time course.

4. Approved colleges and courses

Only approved part-time undergraduate courses are eligible for the part-time fee scheme. You can find a list of approved colleges and courses for the 2024-2025 academic year on the SUSI website.

Part-time PLC and postgraduate courses are not covered by the scheme.

5. Progression in education

You must be progressing in your education. This means that you must be attending a course:

• That will give you a higher level of qualification than you already have
• That is a higher level than any other course you attended before
• Where you will be progressing your studies and will not be repeating any part of a course (except in exceptional circumstances)

Read more about previous education and progression on the SUSI website.

6. Maximum period of grant assistance

You do not qualify for the part-time scheme if you have already got a grant for the maximum number of years allowed for the level of study you are undertaking.

You get a fee contribution based on the number of credits you take during the academic year. SUSI pays the contribution directly to your college.

If your course costs more than the maximum amount you are eligible for, you will pay the difference. If your course costs less than the maximum amount you are eligible for, you do not receive the difference.

For example, if you are doing a course worth 16 credits which costs €3,000, SUSI will pay your college €2,250 and you will pay the balance of €750 to your college.

If you are doing a course worth 16 credits which costs €1,400, SUSI will pay your college €1,400.

Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) is the awarding authority for the part-time fee scheme. To apply, you must create an account in the SUSI student portal and submit your application. Before completing the application form, take a look at the SUSI new application form guide.

Online applications opened on 1 August 2024. The closing date for SUSI grant applications is usually early November.

Supporting documents

You may receive a letter with a checklist detailing documents required to finalise your application. If so, you will need to submit your supporting documents. You should send photocopies of your documents, not originals.

All documents and correspondence should be sent to P.O. Box 869, Little Island, Cork.

You can use SUSI’s online application tracker to get the most up-to-date information about your student grant application and confirm that your supporting documentation has been received.

Disability access officer

If you have a disability, SUSI’s Access Officer can assist you with your student grant application. For more information, email: AccessOfficer@susi.ie.

If you are deaf or hard of hearing, you can access SUSI’s services through the Irish Remote Interpreting Service (IRIS). An Irish Sign Language (ISL) interpreter service is provided free of charge by the Sign Language Interpreting Service (SLIS). To book an appointment with SUSI for this service, email: AccessOfficer@susi.ie.

Grant decision

Your application may be:

• Awarded - An award letter is sent to you offering you a grant and highlighting further steps you may need to take before your grant can be paid.
• Refused - A refusal letter is sent to you. This letter will also highlight the further steps you may take if you wish to review or appeal your grant decision.

If your appeal is turned down, and you feel that the conditions have not been interpreted correctly, you can make a further appeal.

If you have any questions or need help applying for the part-time fee scheme, contact the SUSI Support Desk, open Monday to Friday, 9.00am – 5.30pm (excluding public holidays).

Read more about:

• The full-time Student Grant Scheme
• The Fund for Students with Disabilities, the Student Assistance Fund and some third-level scholarships in our page on financial supports for students
• Grants and funds for mature students
• Postgraduate student grants
• Grants and funds available for students on the Higher Education Authority website