calculators.ieAll calculators

SUSI grant calculator

2026/27 academic year

See which SUSI grant band your household income falls into for 2026/27, the maintenance grant at the adjacent or non-adjacent rate, and the fee support.

Course
College distance from home
Maintenance grant a year 
Your household's income limits
AwardIncome under

This is an estimate from SUSI's published income thresholds and rates. Only SUSI can decide whether you qualify and how much you get, after checking residence, nationality, course, progression and the full detail of your household's income. Terms of use.

Illustration for the susi grant calculator

How SUSI works out a grant

SUSI compares the household's reckonable income for the previous year with a set of thresholds. The thresholds rise with the number of dependent children and with each other household member in full-time college. The first threshold your income is under decides the award; the income must be under the figure, not equal to it.

The award sets the maintenance grant, which depends on whether college is under 30km from home, and how much of the student contribution SUSI pays.

Example. An undergraduate's household has income of €50,000, 2 dependent children and an older sibling also in college. The band 1 limit rises from €47,010 to €51,960, so the student gets band 1: €4,722 a year at the non-adjacent rate, paid in 9 instalments, and the full €2,500 student contribution. From January 2027 the annual rate is expected to be about €4,934.

SUSI rates and thresholds for 2026/27

For households with fewer than 4 dependent children.

AwardIncome underUnder 30km30km or more
Special rate€28,600€3,230€7,936
Band 1, full maintenance€47,010€1,774€4,722
Band 2, part maintenance€48,270€1,343€3,532
Band 3, part maintenance€51,040€975€2,702
Band 4, part maintenance€58,470€612€1,866
Fees only, 100% student contribution€64,315NoneNone
Fees only, 50% student contribution€71,300NoneNone
Fees only, 500 off the student contribution€120,000NoneNone

Sources

Rates last checked 10 October 2026. Every figure is listed on rates and sources.

Figures marked as announced come from Budget 2027 and are not law until the Finance Act 2026 is signed.

Questions

What income does SUSI count?
Gross income from all sources for the household for the previous calendar year: 2025 for the 2026/27 academic year. For a dependent student that is the student's own income and their parents' income. Some social welfare payments are not counted, and a student's holiday earnings up to €8,830 are not counted.
What is the adjacent rate?
The adjacent rate applies when your college is less than 30km from your normal home. At 30km or more you get the higher non-adjacent rate. The distance was cut from 45km to 30km in 2023.
Who gets the special rate?
Students whose household income is under €28,600 (fewer than 4 dependent children) and whose household gets a qualifying long-term social welfare payment, such as Jobseeker's Allowance, One-Parent Family Payment or Disability Allowance, on 31 December of the previous year.
Does it help if a brother or sister is also in college?
Yes. Each other household member in full-time further or higher education at the same time raises the thresholds: by €4,950 for the special rate, band 1 and the fee grants, and €4,785 for bands 2 to 4.
How much is the student contribution and does SUSI pay it?
The student contribution for 2026/27 is €2,500. SUSI pays all of it below €64,315, half below €71,300, and €500 of it below €120,000 (fewer than 4 dependent children). Budget 2027 announced a permanent cut of €150; the start date had not been published by 10 October 2026.
When is the maintenance grant paid?
In 9 monthly instalments over the academic year. Budget 2027 announced a 4.5% increase in maintenance rates from January 2027; SUSI had not published the new amounts by 10 October 2026, so the January figures here are estimates.
Can I get a SUSI grant for a PLC or postgraduate course?
Yes. PLC students can get a maintenance grant on the same income scales. Postgraduate students on the special rate can get tuition fees paid up to €6,270; other postgraduates under €64,315 can get a fee contribution of up to €4,500, and those in bands 1 to 4 also get maintenance.

Related calculators