Errors and omissions slow down student grant process

Delays filing tax returns and provision of incorrect personal information are slowing grant applications for thousands of students.

Of 100,000 students for who claims are due this year, Student Universal Support Ireland (Susi) has received applications from around 75,000 so far.

Just over half are from first-time applicants, and the rest have been sub-mitted by those seeking to renew grants they got in the last college year.

With priority to be given to those who lodge claims by August 1, Susi has highlighted some of the pitfalls encountered by those with initial applications already made.

While numbers lodging applications on time look like being ahead of last year — when 80,000 were received up to the early August deadline — applicants have to submit various supporting documents after initial assessments by Susi.

But several hundred a week make basic errors and omission at the earliest stages of application, including giving the wrong PPS number for students.

“This makes it difficult for us to utilise our enhanced data sharing with other government bodies and delays the processing of students’ grant applications,” said Susi head of communications and customer service, Graham Doyle.

He also urged families with farming or self-employment income who apply for grants for their children to file tax returns early, as acknowledgement from Revenue of such filings is required but not provided in the case of hundreds returning documents each week.

“Students are applying to Susi without these tax returns being filed and this means that we are unable to fully process such applications,” Mr Doyle said.

The grant scheme, operated by Susi on behalf of the Department of Education, opened two weeks earlier this year, in early May, and is open to applicants who will be on undergraduate or post-Leaving Certificate courses. Contributions towards fees are also available for postgraduate students.

Crucially, students do not need to have accepted or been offered a course place before applying, so those awaiting next month’s Leaving Certificate results and CAO offers may apply now.

Susi is an agency of City of Dublin Education and Training Board, and took over the management of all new third-level grant applications in 2012 from councils and vocational education committees.

After major problems in its initial year, largely down to technical and communications shortcomings, it operated relatively smoothly in 2013.

The proportion of third- level students qualifying for grants is rising, and reached 37% among first- years in 2010. But the Higher Education Authority believes grants are not having the same benefits as previously, as institute of technology students who get financial support are now more likely than others to drop out before year two of their courses.

Grant rates have been cut by 11.5% since 2010 and changes to income and distance criteria have also seen fewer students paid the higher levels of support.