Students under 23 in receipt of Susi grants are less likely to complete their degree than those not in receipt of financial support, according to new data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
An analysis by the CSO released on Friday found that some 45 per cent of the 176,348 new entrants to level-eight degrees between 2012 and 2017 received a Student Universal Support Ireland (Susi) maintenance grant to help with living costs, a grant towards tuition fees, or both.
Of those under the age of 23 undertaking a level-eight degree in that period, 20.7 per cent (14,277) in receipt of Susi support did not complete their degree, compared with 13.8 per cent (12,620) of those who received no financial support.
However, for the 15,739 mature students over 23 undertaking level-eight degrees in the same period, “the opposite was true,” according to Tadgh Hegarty, a CSO statistician.
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Some 28.9 per cent (3,108) of mature students who received Susi support did not complete their level-eight degree, compared with 34.7 per cent (1,736) of those who received no financial support.
The difference is further pronounced for mature students who undertook level-seven degrees, according to Mr Hegarty.
“Notably, some 70 per cent of mature general degree students [level seven] who received Susi support completed their degree, compared with 59 per cent of those without maintenance or fee support,” he said.
The non-completion rate for all level-eight new entrants was 18 per cent. Of those who received Susi support, 22 per cent did not complete their degree, compared with 15 per cent of new entrants who did not receive Susi support.
Separately, those in receipt of Susi grants living further than 45km from their college were slightly more likely to complete their degree.
Overall, no significant difference was recorded in the outcomes for those who received Susi support and those who did not.
In both cohorts, 80 per cent of students were found in either employment only or employment and education five years after enrolment.
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