Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI)
Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI)
BCFE is an approved college for maintenance grants. Currently, all our QQI Level 5 & 6 courses as well as our HNDs are approved courses.
Please note: SUSI maintenance grants are not available for top-up degree courses (CDA, CDG, and MPM)
Students apply for Susi grants on-line at www.susi.ie there is a wealth of information on grants on the following websites;
www.citizensinformation.ie/en/
SUSI Helpline: 0761 08 78 74
For students in Colleges of Further Education/PLC courses only the maintenance grant will be paid to eligible students. As there are no tuition fees in these colleges a fees grant is not paid. The maintenance grant does not cover the cost of registration or examination fees. In order to be fully registered as a student of the college and therefore eligible for the maintenance grant students must have paid this contribution fee in full.
To qualify for a maintenance grant, you must fulfill the conditions of the scheme as regards:
- Means
- Nationality and Immigration Status
- Residence
We would also encourage you to use the Eligibility Reckoner on the SUSI website where you can quickly and easily self-assess whether you may be entitled to a grant prior to making your application. See https://susi.ie/eligibility/plc-student/ for further information. Students who are eligible for the maintenance grant will be exempt from the PLC participant contribution (Euro 200 government levy).
Payment
The maintenance grant is paid directly into the students’ bank account each month (over a 9 month period) and is available to fully registered PLC students who are progressing from one level to the next. There is a list of payment dates on the SUSI website.
Progression
To be eligible there are detailed conditions about the level of the course you are attending; whether you have attended a course at the same level already; and whether the course represents progression from your previous studies. In general, you will not get a grant for repeating a year or attending a course at a level that does not represent progression from previous studies. However, ‘second chance students’ may be eligible for a grant. There is a maximum of 3 years funding in total at PLC level.
Since 2009/10 students participating in BTEA and VTOS are no longer eligible to qualify for receipt of PLC Grants.
For more details on SUSI application see Appendix 1 Guidance, Supports and Counselling.
BCFE Hardship Fund:
Students experiencing extreme financial difficulty should apply directly to the Principal, Kevin Devine.