The majority of this year's almost 100,000 applicants for student grants will know next month if they have been successful, the awarding body SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland) has said.
It has also moved to reassure students that they will be able to register in college with proof of application for a grant amid claims on social media that some universities are withholding services from applicants.
A number of complaints have been made to SUSI that certain institutions are refusing access to services such as library facilities pending the receipt of student grants.
However, a spokesman for SUSI said “there is an understanding with colleges that if a student has an application with SUSI the college will register them”.
Some colleges did charge a levy for services such as gyms, and “we cannot tell the colleges they can’t do that”, he said, but SUSI was unaware of any institution withholding academic services pending the receipt of student grants.
In line with the policy of other universities, NUI Maynooth said once students had registered and received a student card they would be able to access all services.
Similarly, DCU said students only had to show proof of a SUSI application to register, and once they paid €43 for a student card they could access all services.
SUSI is still getting up to 250 new applicants each day, bringing the total number of applicants this year to 99,000 - from 92,000 at the initial cut-off date of August 1st.
The spokesman reminded students who had applied from outside of the CAO process that they needed to return their final course acceptance form to SUSI in order to complete the process. “We have thousands of people out there who haven’t sent those forms in yet,” he said.
