Susi in first payments to 43,000 students

The third-level grants body Student Universal Support Ireland (Susi) has made the first payments to 43,000 applicants, 4,000 more than this time last year.

With more than 100,000 applications received for the current college year, it has approved funding for 54,000 of them so far, but around 11,000 have yet to provide their bank details or have their registration confirmed by colleges to allow the first instalment to be paid.

From next year, it is planned that students who qualify for grants will receive four payments before Christmas instead of the usual three, and five monthly instalments will be paid in the second semester.