Farm families have been urged to be aware of the closing dates and details of the Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) grant.
The SUSI grant is the main financial support scheme for students studying in Ireland and abroad.
The grant is divided into maintenance grants, which help students with their living costs, and fee grants, which pay tuition fees, or the student contribution aspect of tuition fees.
The Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) Farm Family and Social Affairs chairperson Teresa Roche has said that farm families should be aware of the upcoming closing date to the SUSI grants.
The priority closing dates for the SUSI grants are tomorrow (Thursday, June 6) for grant renewal applications, and July 11 for new grant applications.
“Many students from farm families or in rural areas qualify for this grant,” Roche said.
An application submitted before the priority closing dates will be assessed as a priority.
The final closing date for all SUSI grants is usually November, although the exact date is not yet confirmed.
The IFA also drew attention to some changes to the SUSI grant for the 2024-2025 academic year which were announced in Budget 2024.
Under the maintenance grant, the non-adjacent maintenance rate (for students living further than 30km from their college) will increase by €615 and the adjacent rate (for student living 30km or less from their college) will increase by 10%.
While it is important for students and their families to be keenly aware of what they can avail of under the SUSI grant, there is first the small matter of the Leaving Cert.
A total of 136,160 students combined will sit this year’s Leaving Cert, Leaving Cert Applied and Junior Cycle exams.
Wishing students luck, Minister for Education Norma Foley said: “I am pleased to have the opportunity to send very best wishes to all students beginning Leaving Certificate, Leaving Certificate Applied and Junior Cycle exams today.
“It’s the culmination of many, many years of hard work from all of you. I know those years have been challenging, they’ve been daunting and they’ve been demanding, but you have seen it through right to the very end,” Minister Foley added.