Donna McGettigan (Clare, Sinn Fein)
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3399. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the cost to extend the SUSI grant system for postgraduate fee contribution of €5,000 for qualifying students for the upcoming academic year 2025/2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42998/25]

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.

Postgraduate students who meet all the conditions of the Student Grant Scheme may become eligible for the following supports:

• A student Maintenance grant which was restored in September 2024 for the first time since the financial crash with a pro-rata effect from January 2024. The annual rates and the income thresholds for maintenance grants are the same for undergraduate and postgraduate students.
• A postgraduate fee contribution of €4,000 or a postgraduate fee grant, up to a maximum of €6,270 towards the cost of fees is available. This is dependent on the level of a student's reckonable income and meeting all other eligibility criteria. To be eligible for the fee contribution grant of up to €4,000 plus a maintenance grant, the total household income must be within the .

It is estimated that the full year cost for the 2025/2026 academic year to extend the Postgraduate Fee contribution from €4,000 to €5,000 for qualifying students would be approximately €2.3m.

My Department is continually monitoring the student supports available in order to make improvements where possible, subject to budgetary constraints.

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.

The options assessment is intended to identify costs and potential impacts by the Department and is published without prejudice to eventual Government decisions.