Students have only hours left to apply for study grants

Students looking to apply for third-level study grants have been urged to do so by the end of Thursday, which is the closing date for priority applications with Susi.

The national student grant awarding body, Susi, has received 77,000 applications so far from new and returning students, just two-thirds of what it would expect.

Last year nearly 100,000 submissions were made, with 79,800 students received funding for their course.

With applications open since April, the body has already awarded 41,000 grants for those due to enter courses in September coming.

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Any appeals made after July 11th will still be accepted but will not be processed as a priority.

"Leaving Certificate students do not need their results or their final course choice to apply," said Susi's communications and information services manager, Aoife Green, adding that she hopes to see a "surge in applications" before the deadline.

Ms Green advised applicants to have their PPS number, and their parents’ or spouse’s PPS number, as well as records of their 2018 household income to hand. Students should also have details of their first-choice course to hand when making an application.

Less than half of applicants are required to provide additional documents, as most are processed fully online, Ms Green added.

The distribution of Susi grants are available to residents and nationals of Ireland, the EU, EEA or Switzerland.

Courses must be approved and also be delivered by an approved institution. A person’s income level is a primary factor, but depends on whether the applicant is dependent or independent. To be classed as independent, a student must be over 23 years of age and living separately from parents or guardians for almost a year prior to the date of course entry.