Ryan O'Meara (Tipperary North, Fianna Fail)
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1249. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if an Irish citizen, who completed their second-level education abroad, in a non-EU country, that intends to return and pursue their third-level education in Ireland, will meet the criteria for SUSI; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23777/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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The main support available to students is the statutory based Student Grant Scheme which is administered by SUSI. Under the terms of the Student Grant Scheme, grant assistance is awarded to students attending an approved course in an approved institution who meet the prescribed conditions of funding, including those relating to nationality, residency, previous academic attainment and means.

The decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter, in the first instance, for SUSI to determine. An Eligibility Indicator is provided by SUSI to assist in deciding if a person should apply for a student grant. The Eligibility Indicator provides an approximate indication of the possible eligibility for grant funding based on the information that is provided in response to the questions asked. This resource can be accessed on www.susi.ie.

With regards residency, to be eligible for a grant, you must demonstrate that you have been resident in the Irish State, the EU, EEA, UK or Swiss Federation for three of the last five years on the day before the start of an approved course of study. There are no exemptions to this residency rule. It applies to all applicants including Irish people returning from abroad to undertake studies in Ireland. The nationality requirements for the Student Grant Scheme are set out in Section 14 of the Student Support Act 2011 and Regulation 5 of the Student Support Regulations 2025.

If a person does not satisfy the residency requirements to be eligible for a grant, they may be eligible for EU fees if they have spent at least five years in primary or secondary school in Ireland. However, it is the responsibility of the Higher Education Institution to determine the fee status of their students.

Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Ireland are autonomous bodies and are solely responsible for determining the fee status of their students. They apply guidelines based upon both citizenship and residency requirements to make this determination.

If the person in question requires further clarification, I would suggest that they contact the bursar's office in the HEI that they are interested in attending. The bursar's office would be best positioned to provide specific guidance in each individual case. SUSI is now open for applications for the 25/26 academic year.