4229. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to confirm if means testing for SUSI financial support for students renting out modular home units that under new regulations can be rented out under license under the rent a room scheme will include the income(s) of the main property as they share an Eircode; if so, his plans to address this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59027/26]

The Student Grant Scheme is a Universal Scheme and the rules including the calculation of reckonable income are applied to all students who make an application, including those who rent a modular home under the Rent a Room Scheme.

The decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter, in the first instance, for the awarding authority, SUSI to determine.

For student grant purposes, students are categorised according to their circumstances either as students who are dependent on parents/legal guardian, mature dependent students, or independent students. In relation to SUSI’s calculation of reckonable income, the issue in question is household dependency and not the Eircode itself. In determining an application, SUSI examines the student's dependency status and living arrangements.

In relation to the specific question raised by the Deputy, the existence of a modular home at the same property, or the sharing of an Eircode, is not in itself determinative of a student's eligibility or household status for grant assessment purposes

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.

If a student is under 23 on 1 January of the year of their first point of entry into further or higher education, they are automatically classed as a Dependent Student. This means the student must supply their parent(s) or legal guardian(s) information as well as your their when filling out your application and the student’s own income and the income of their parent(s) or legal guardian(s) will be included in the income calculation for grant assessment purposes.

If a student has reached the age of 23 on the 1st of January of the year of first entry or re-entry to an approved course and is not ordinarily resident with their parents from the previous 1st October, they may be assessed as an independent student and assessed without reference to parental income.

In the above circumstances, the student must be able to provide documentary evidence to support independent residency in order to be assessed as an Independent Student.

Documentary evidence of independent residence must be dated from:

1. The previous year to the point of entry (any month not later than October); AND

2. The point of entry year (any month not later than their point of entry).

Examples of documents that can be accepted for this purpose are:

• A letter confirming that their address is registered with RTB (Residential Tenancies Board);

• A Local Authority lease agreement or a letter confirming rental under the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) or any Government Housing Scheme/Arrangement. Private Housing Lease Agreements will not be accepted;

• A letter on headed paper from a Rental Agency confirming their tenancy;

• A letter confirming the receipt and period of Rent Allowance, Mortgage Interest Supplement or Housing Assistance Payment (HAP);

• A Utility bill or statement of top-ups for pay as you go utility meters in the applicant’s name, for example; landline telephone (SUSI does not accept mobile telephone bills), fixed broadband, gas, electricity or cable/satellite television bill/home heating bills/Waste bills/Mortgage Statements/Property Tax Letters.

• If the utility bills in the household are in a spouse's name, a marriage certificate with the utility bill must be provided.

• If they are co-habiting we will accept utility bills in their partner's name covering the relevant period together with correspondence e.g. bank statement/Statement of Liability (formerly P21) issued to the applicant at the same address and covering the relevant period).

• Official documentation posted to the applicant at their address and relating to their residence there.

If a student is over the age 23 on 1st January of the year of their point of entry or re-entry into an approved course and is residing with their parent/legal guardians, they will be assessed as a mature dependent student and assessed with reference to parental income.

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.

Where applicants are unsure of how their particular circumstances may affect their grant application, they are encouraged to engage directly with SUSI, who is responsible for the assessment of individual applications and can provide guidance based on the specific facts of each case.

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