Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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471. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the percentage of student in receipt of SUSI with a self-employed parent or guardian included within the assessed household; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45143/21]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Under the Student Grant Scheme, grant assistance is available to eligible students attending an approved course in an approved institution who meet the terms and conditions of funding, including those relating to residency, means, nationality and previous academic attainment.

The decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter, in the first instance, for SUSI to determine. For the 2021/22 academic year, student grant applications will be assessed based on gross income from all sources for the period 1st January 2020 to 31st December 2021.

I understand from SUSI that in the 2020/21 academic year there were 13,241 paid applications where a Parent/Guardian declared a Self Employed Income. Of the total paid cohort of 74,844 applicants, this is 17.7%.

As SUSI is still accepting and assessing applications for the current 2021/22 academic year, the data for the full academic year is not yet finalised, however as of the 10^thSeptember 2021 there are 9,906 awarded applications where a Parent/Guardian declared a Self Employed Income. Of the total awarded cohort of 68,606 applicants, this is 14.44%.