Student grants to be paid out quicker

Students should get grants quicker than previous years this autumn, and should also have an extra payment before Christmas.

Student Universal Support Ireland (Susi) is making better progress than in 2014 with processing grant application. It had decided just under half of 97,500 applications received up to the end of last week, compared to less than a third at the same time last year.

It expects total applications to go up from 103,000 last year to 110,000, and to award around 5,000 more students than last year’s 75,000 figure. The improvements have been assisted by further changes to Susi’s systems, but also by opening for applications two weeks earlier, in late April.