SUSI FAQs

What is SUSI?

Student Universal Support Ireland, or SUSI for short, is Ireland’s national awarding authority for further and higher education grants. They offer funding to eligible students in approved courses at PLC, undergraduate, and postgraduate levels.

This funding is awarded in line with the Student Support Act 2011, the Student Grant Scheme, and Student Support Regulations. All decisions about applications are made entirely by SUSI; NCI does not have any input into the grant decision process.

Am I eligible for a SUSI grant?

SUSI grants are open to EU, EEA, UK, and Swiss nationals, to students with specific immigration status, or those who have leave to remain permission from the Department of Justice. You must have been resident in the Irish State, the EU, EEA, UK or Swiss Federation for three of the last five years. You must also be studying on one of the approved courses and must be progressing in your education: SUSI will only award funding for contribution or contribution and maintenance for one course per NFQ level.

For more details, please see SUSI’s website, susi.ie. You can also check if you are eligible for a grant, check out the eligibility indicator on their website.

How do I apply for a SUSI grant?

Applications are made online at susi.ie

Once applications open, you are advised to apply as soon as possible as SUSI receive a high number of applications - you do not need to have your Leaving Certificate results or to have accepted a course in order to apply. You will need to update your course and college details on your SUSI account once you have accepted an offer to finalise your application.

I was awarded a grant and SUSI say that they need to confirm that I am registered at NCI, what does that mean?

Students can only receive SUSI funding once they are fully registered. In order to be registered as a student in NCI, you need to complete the registration process through your MyDetails account, which includes paying the mandatory €80 gym fee if you are a full-time undergraduate. Once this is done, the Fees team will confirm with SUSI on your behalf, that you have been registered; you do not need to send SUSI a letter confirming your registration status at NCI.

How do I send a copy of my SUSI letter to the Fees team to show that I am receiving a SUSI grant?

Please ensure that the details on your letter are correct and then send a copy of the letter to fees@ncirl.ie.
We ask that you do this as soon as possible so that your fee details can be updated.

I have changed my course and/or 3^rd level institution since I applied for SUSI, is there anything I need to do?

Yes. If your application for a grant listed a course in a different 3^rd level institution or a different course in NCI, you need to update your details on the SUSI website. You can do this by submitting an online Course Change Notification form in the “My Courses” section of your student portal on the SUSI website.

My application to SUSI was denied, what can I do next?

You can appeal your grant decision on the SUSI website if you are unhappy that it was denied. SUSI introduced a student contribution grant of €500 which you may be able to receive if you were not deemed eligible for the 50% or 100% grants and/or maintenance. Appeals must be made within 30 days of the original grant decision.

For more information, please see the Appeals page of the SUSI website.

I received a SUSI grant last academic year; do I need to re-apply?

Yes. All students progressing to the next level of their course need to renew their application to SUSI to be considered for funding for the next academic year. If you do not do this, it may result in you not receiving any funding for the following year. To renew your application, please check your email account for an offer from SUSI to re-apply and follow their instructions.

What happens if I want to defer my place or withdraw from my course?

If you wish to defer your place or if decide that you do not want to attend your course, you will need to cancel your SUSI application in the “My Requests” section of their student portal. Failure to do so could affect future SUSI funding applications.

I am going to be a part-time student, can I apply for SUSI?

SUSI grants for part-time students are only available for approved courses in specific institutions. Unfortunately, part-time students in NCI are not currently eligible for this funding.

I have to repeat a year, can I still apply for a SUSI grant?

Repeat students are generally only eligible for SUSI funding under exceptional circumstances.

My course isn’t part of the Free Fees Scheme, can I still apply for a SUSI grant?

Yes. Fee grants are available to students whose courses are not included in the Free Fees Scheme.

I have a disability; can SUSI offer any extra help with my application?

Yes. SUSI have an Access Officer who can give additional guidance and assistance to people with disabilities, and an Irish Sign Language interpreter service if you are a member of the Deaf community. You can send an email to access.officer@susi.ie for more information.

How do I get in touch with SUSI?

There is a SUSI Support Desk which is open from Monday to Friday (09:00 – 17:30), excluding public holidays.

You can contact them by emailing support@susi.ie or by phoning them on:
0818 888 777 (if calling from Ireland) or on +353 1 524 2257 (if calling from another country).