Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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514. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if a person qualifies for a special rate student grant if he or she is within the threshold and meets all qualifying conditions but is in employment for two days a week; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42596/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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The Deputy will appreciate that, in the absence of all of the relevant details that would be contained in an individual's application form and supporting documentation, it is not possible to say whether or not a particular student would qualify for a grant.

The eligibility of the individual to which the Deputy refers is a matter for SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland) to determine; upon receipt of the relevant application form and supporting documentation. However, for the Deputy's convenience I have set out below some of the criteria which would be taken into consideration by SUSI in their assessment.

Under the terms of the student grant scheme, grant assistance is awarded to students who meet the prescribed conditions of funding, including those relating to nationality, residency, previous academic attainment and means.

Eligible candidates may receive funding provided they are attending an approved course at an approved institution. An approved course is defined as a full-time undergraduate course of at least two years duration or a full-time postgraduate course of not less than one year duration pursued in an approved institution.

The qualifying criteria for the special rate of maintenance grant, in the 2015/16 academic year, as specified under the 2015 student grant scheme is as follows:

1. The student must qualify for the standard rate of grant;

2. Total reckonable income, after income disregards and Child Dependant Increase(s) are excluded, must not exceed €22,703;

3. As at 31st December, 2014, the reckonable income must include one of the eligible long-term social welfare payments prescribed in the Student Grant Scheme.