Almost 1,700 students wait six months for grant

ALMOST 1,700 students are still waiting for payment of their grants for more than six months, the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) has claimed.

As third-level undergraduates approach their end-of-year exams in just over a month, it is believed up to half the number who have not received grants are awaiting funding from awarding bodies in Cork.

USI president Peter Mannion said the situation highlights the urgency with which new Education Minister Mary Coughlan must move to advance the Student Support Bill, which has been waiting to get to committee stage in the Dáil for almost two years.