Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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344. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills of the 59,000 first-time applicants to Student Universal Support Ireland which were submitted for the 5 August deadline, the number that have received a final decision as of 5 September 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37993/13]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I understand that SUSI -Student Universal Support Ireland, the centralised student grants awarding body, has met its first target for processing applications for the 2013/2014 academic year. It has completed its initial assessment of all first time applications received before the August 5th deadline for priority processing. Late applications continue to be accepted.

This year the SUSI process consists of 3 stages:Following the on-target completion of the first stage (initial assessment), 61,000 first time applicants have now been assessed by SUSI, including 3,000 late applications. Of these 51,000 are eligible to proceed to the next stage of the process - to return documents requested by SUSI to support their application. However, it is anticipated that only about 40,000 applications will actually proceed to final decision. This prediction is based on last year's experience in the numbers of applicants who applied to SUSI but in the end did not proceed to college: 9,000 first-time applicants were refused a grant in 2012 because they did not meet the all the eligibility criteria and a further 1,400 were cancelled in 2012 at the applicant's request.

The second stage of the SUSI process is for students to return their completed document packs as requested by SUSI to support their applications. Applicants have until 24 September to do this to be prioritised for the third stage of the process.

The third stage of the SUSI process which is final assessment and final decision has been substantially streamlined for 2013 by the automation of SUSI's links to the CAO. However those applicants who are outside the CAO (and those within the CAO who have not opted in to allow CAO share information with SUSI) must provide SUSI with a Final Course Acceptance Form (FCA) confirming which college/course they selected. This is necessary before the grant application can be finally decided. A SUSI campaign for the return of the FCA form (which can now submitted online at www.susi.ie) is ongoing.

Following receipt of the FCA form by SUSI, applications can be finalised once colleges have confirmed that students have registered for their courses. This contact with the colleges takes place in early October and, together with students providing their bank details to SUSI, is the final step necessary before grants can be paid.

The published first grant payment dates are 18 October for higher education and 25 October for further education (PLC) applicants.