Student Assistance Fund
For the Government to begin the phased restoration of the SAF to €11m over the next three Budgets. USI welcomes the additional allocation of €1million in the Budget 2016, but it is clear that this figure does not meet the needs required of SAF in our HEIs and a phased...Grant Adjacency Rates
For the Government to reverse the decision taken in Budget 2011 and decrease the qualifying criteria for the non-adjacent rate of the grant from 45km to 24km. The current qualifying distance of 45km intends to take into account a reasonable distance which students...Grants Thresholds
For the Government to commit to increasing the threshold and allocation given through the Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) grant scheme. The DIT Campus Life survey details the on average the total cost to attend third level education in Dublin, with the total...Support and Funding for Part-Time and Further Education Students
For the Government to commit to part-time and further education students receiving the same supports that would be available to full-time students in similar circumstances and make a hardship fund available for students who are studying part-time and in further...Apprenticeship Fees
For the Government to overturn the decision in Budget 2014 to impose the new pro-rata Student Contribution and reinstate the State contribution to remove apprenticeship fees. The decision taken in Budget 2014 to impose a new pro-rata Student Contribution fee and for...Gaeltacht Placement Fees
For the Government to restore grants for student teachers’ attendance at mandatory Gaeltacht courses. Students starting their programme of initial primary teacher education since the 2012/13 academic year have been required to self-fund fees relating to three weeks of...Publicly Funded Higher Education
For the Government to rule out any possible introduction of an income contingent loan scheme and to reduce the Student Contribution Charge by a minimum of €250 and invest €1.26bn into higher education over the next decade. Budget 2018 can reduce the financial burden...
Minister McEntee launches National Student Mental Health Campaign with USI
This national men’s health week, the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) has teamed up with the HSE, National Office of Suicide Prevention (NOSP) and Minister for Mental Health and Older People, Helen McEntee, to announce the launch of a major project to tackle...