John Clendennen (Offaly, Fine Gael)
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42. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of third level students who will benefit from increasing the SUSI income threshold from €115,000 to €120,000; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55739/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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I recognise that third level education can be a significant cost for families and students.

Introduced in the 2023/24 academic year, the €500 Student Contribution Grant has had a significant impact, with over 18,000 students receiving the grant in the 2024/2025 academic year. These are students who previously would never have qualified for any form of grant support.

In Budget 2026 I was delighted to be in a position to bring in the first permanent reduction to the Student Contribution Charge reducing the charge from €3,000 - €2,500 this academic year.

In addition, I secured funding to increase the threshold to avail of the €500 Student Contribution Grant from €115,000 - €120,000. This will come into effect in September 2026. Combined with the permanent fee reduction, this means that eligible undergraduate students whose households earning are under €120,000 will pay no more than €2,000 towards the student contribution charge in the 26/27 academic year.

As this is a demand led scheme it is not possible to determine how many people will apply as a result of this measure. It is estimated that there may be over 2000 families eligible between the income brackets of €115,000 - €120,000. However, beyond this, there may be many thousands of other students who are eligible to apply for the €500 grant who have not yet applied. Students are encouraged to check out www.susi.ie to consider whether they may be eligible for support.