Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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322. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the maintenance payments and student contribution concessions which are now available to post-graduate students; if the exact same means thresholds apply as for undergraduates; the extent to which fees are covered; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38374/24]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy may wish to note that the annual rates of maintenance and the income thresholds applied are the same for undergraduate and postgraduate students. The Student Contribution is not payable Postgraduate Students, as they are not eligible for free fees.

The annual rates of maintenance grant for postgraduate students, income limits for postgraduate maintenance grants and postgraduate fee grant rates for the 2024/25 academic year are all listed below.

Table 1

Annual rates of maintenance grant for postgraduate students

2024/25 academic year

Table 2

Income Limits for Postgraduate Maintenance Grants

** Increments which may be added to the relevant income limits.

Table 3

Postgraduate Fee Grant Rates for the 2024/25 academic year

* To be eligible for tuition fees the conditions for the special rate of maintenance grant must be satisfied.

** Where a student doesn't satisfy the conditions for the special rate of maintenance this is the max amount applicable.

The Deputy will be aware that in advance of Budget 2025 this autumn, I have on the 16th September published an options paper which set out various possible measures to reduce the cost of education. I will have regard to these options when making proposals in the context of budget discussions.

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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323. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which student earnings are disregarded in the means tests for student support; if it is calculated based on earnings prior to taking the course in the year of entry, which may for some students have constituted full-time working, and would not be a realistic estimate of the household earnings once studying; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38375/24]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy is aware the decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter, in the first instance, for the awarding authority, SUSI to determine.

Under the Student Grant Scheme for full-time courses, income from employment which represents holiday earnings outside of term time (Easter, summer and Christmas holidays) can be deducted when determining the reckonable income of an applicant. The maximum amount of this deduction in the 2024/2025 academic year is €7,925 and this can be deducted from both full-time and part-time employment income. The reason for the limit is to mitigate against students working so much during their tertiary education that it negatively impacts on their ability to fully participate in their course.

Where a student is pursuing an approved full-time course in the 2024/25 academic year and worked while they were in education in 2023, holiday earnings can be deducted from the total household reckonable income.

If an applicant plans to leave full-time employment to pursue further or higher education in 2024/25, they may apply for their application be assessed or reassessed due to a change in circumstances under Article 32 of the Student Grant Scheme 2024. If an applicant experiences a change in circumstances from 1 January 2024, and a reduction in income is likely to continue for the duration of their course or for the foreseeable future, their application can be assessed on their current income instead of income earned in 2023. The income of all parties to the application will be reassessed and they will be asked to submit evidence of their current income.

Under the recently launched Student Part-time Fee Scheme for Specified Undergraduate Courses, if an applicant is pursuing an approved part-time undergraduate course in the academic year 2024/25, a portion of their income up to the same maximum of €7,925 can be deducted from the total household reckonable income. This applies whether the applicant was in education or employment in 2023 and is not limited to holidays outside of term time. This is to allow for the fact that students studying part-time are likely to be in full time employment and to ensure that such students are able to participate in Higher Education.