Eoghan Kenny (Cork North-Central, Labour)
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1235. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost of removing the mature dependent section of SUSI treating all over the age of 23 as independent; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23574/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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The decision on eligibility for student grant applications is a matter for the centralised grant awarding authority, SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland) to determine.

In general, for student grant purposes, students are categorised according to their circumstances either as students dependent on parents or a legal guardian, or as independent mature students.

A student may be assessed as an independent student (i.e. assessed without reference to parental income and address) if they have attained the age of 23 on the 1st of January of the year of first entry to an approved course, and is not ordinarily resident with their parents from the previous 1st October. Otherwise, they would be assessed as a dependent student i.e. assessed with reference to parental income and address.

A student’s status for grant purposes is defined at their first point of entry to an approved further or higher education course or at their point of re-entry to an approved course following a break in studies of at least three years, and continues to apply for the duration of their studies.

Applicants who do not meet the criteria to be assessed as an independent student for grant purposes, or who cannot supply the necessary documentation to establish independent living for the required period, may still apply to SUSI to have their grant eligibility assessed as a dependent student. The relevant information, including details of parental income, would be required by SUSI to determine grant eligibility as a dependent student.

Further information regarding class of applicant (independent or dependent) and the types of documentation accepted as evidence of living independently from parents is available from SUSI’s website: susi.ie/eligibility/applicant-class/

My Department reviews policy on an ongoing basis, having regard to overall resource constraints and other competing demands in the further and higher education sector.

Ahead of Budget 2026, I will publish an options paper, which will identify costs and potential impacts of various policy options aimed at reducing the cost of higher education. This paper will inform decision-making ahead of Budget 2026.

Eoghan Kenny (Cork North-Central, Labour)
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1236. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills how many students would become eligible for SUSI if the student earnings was removed, and how much this would cost; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23575/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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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 2025/2026 academic year is €8,424 (an increase from €7,925 in the 2024/2025 academic year) 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.

The eligibility criteria for student grants are reviewed annually by the Department and approved by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. All proposals made in relation to education expenditure, including student grants, are considered in the context of the annual Budget.

Ahead of Budget 2026, I will publish an options paper, which will identify costs and potential impacts of various policy options aimed at reducing the cost of higher education. This paper will inform decision-making ahead of Budget 2026.