Only third of students to get grant by Christmas

Just 13,500 of the 35,000 first-year students due a college grant will have been paid by Christmas, despite government promises of a faster, more efficient system.

A month ago, Education Minister Ruairi Quinn said the agency handling grant applications had a target of paying or approving 33,000 students for grants of college fee payments by the end of the year.

However, up to yesterday Student Universal Support Ireland (Susi) had only paid 11,404 students and expects to pay grants to 2,000 more by the end of the week.