4108. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of students who will become eligible for maintenance payments for postgraduate study in 2026. [63908/26]

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.

• A postgraduate fee contribution of €4,500 (increased in Budget 2026 from €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 €4,500 plus a maintenance grant, the total household income must be within certain income thresholds.

The maximum period of grant funding available at post graduate level is 4 years in total. All previous attendance and attainment at post graduate level are considered regardless of whether a grant was received previously or not.

As of 28 August 2026, for the 2026/2027 academic year

• the number of postgraduate applications received is 3,874.

• the number of postgraduate applicants who have been awarded is 2,774 and of those 2,438 have been awarded a maintenance grant.

Please note that these figures are likely to change as SUSI continues to process applications for academic year 2026/27.

As of this date, applications are at awarded status only; in order for students to receive a maintenance payment they must be registered and have their registration confirmed by their institution, with bank details submitted at least ten days prior to the first scheduled payment date.

I wish to also advise the Deputy that the number of Post Graduate students in receipt of a maintenance grant for the 2025/26 academic year is 3,056.