Student Support Fund

• Students who are EU nationals and are currently registered to a full-time UCD programme of at least one year’s duration which leads either to an undergraduate or postgraduate qualification. Applicants must be registered to the current academic year and to modules. 
• International/non-EU fee paying students are not eligible for funding. However, students who are non-EU nationals, but are eligible for free or reduced fees in line with the criteria for the (opens in a new window)Free Fees Initiative, and are currently registered to a full-time UCD programme of at least one year’s duration which leads either to an undergraduate or postgraduate qualification may be considered subject to meeting the criteria. 
• PhD students are eligible to apply for the SAF during the first four years of their studies.
• Students with a previous higher education qualification at the same NFQ level, may be considered for support on a case-by-case basis and subject to available funding.

HEAR students, Part-time students and parenting students must make their applications through the Access and Lifelong Learning Centre, not via the Universal Student Support Fund. These students can e-mail UCD Access and Lifelong Learning ((opens in a new window)ALLstudentSAF@ucd.ie) for assistance with their applications.

• Persons qualified for protection under Section 60 of the International Protection Act 2015 (including Ukrainian students who are currently registered as Higher Education Students, on approved courses or authorised transition arrangements in approved publicly funded institutions in Ireland). To qualify, the student must have been granted permission to reside in the State by the Minister for Justice pursuant to section 60 of the International Protection Act 2015). The student must be present, and residing at an address in the State, and attending, or intending to pursue, an approved course in the current academic year. 
• Irish Nationals who were attending a Higher Education Institution in Ukraine during the previous academic year; and have now returned to Ireland due to the conflict, are now residing at an address in the State and enrolled on an authorised transition programme during the current academic year.

• Students who have non-EU status and those attending foundation or access courses are ineligible for the University-wide Student Support Fund.
• Students who have completed a degree/Masters/PhD and are undertaking a second qualification at the same level will be considered on case by case basis. Students from Graduate Entry programmes will be considered.

The following students should email UCD Access and Lifelong Learning ((opens in a new window)ALLstudentSAF@ucd.ie) for information about their applications:

• HEAR students
• Part-time students
• Students who are parenting

The annual income limit for eligibility for the Student Support Fund for academic year 2023-24 is €50,840. Supporting documentation from the previous tax year will be required to prove applicants meet this requirement.

The Student Support Fund is divided equally across all approved applicants until such time as the fund is exhausted. Payment varies from year to year. This year, eligible students registered to the full academic year will receive a one-off payment of €650. Eligible students registered to 1 trimester will receive €325.

Applications can be made through SISWeb when the fund reopens in October 2023. Students will receive an email when the fund is open or please check our website for updates.

Students will be funded on a rolling basis as applications are approved until the fund runs out. It is therefore advisable to apply early. Students may submit only one application per academic year.

Please read the guide below carefully before applying. This will help you determine if you are eligible to apply and gives you important information about the fund and how to make an application through your SISWeb account. Please also read carefully the section on supporting documentation.

If you have any questions after reading the guide, please make an appointment to see your Student Adviser.

To apply, please follow these steps: 

1. Check that you meet the means-tested income limit: Eligibility for support from the Student Support Fund is based on a defined and appropriately documented income figure. 
2. Source your supporting documentation: e.g. SUSI letter, Statement of Liability, Social Welfare Statement, Notice of Assessment (see full details below). Your application will not be processed if you do not have the correct supporting documentation. 
3. Combine your supporting documentation: You will be able to upload only one document to your online application so please save all pages of documents into one file. e.g. Word Document or PDF. 
4. Log into your SISWeb: Click on the Programme Services tab > Welfare & Assistance > Student Support Fund.
5. Complete the online form: Please complete the income section accurately and ensure that details are consistent with your submitted documentation. Upload your supporting documents file. Your application will not be processed if you do not upload supporting documentation. 
6. Click Save: Your application status will display 'awaiting verification' until the SSF Administrator has assessed your application. You will be notified directly if there are any outstanding requirements. 

Note: You do not need to submit receipts.

Applicants must satisfy a MEANS TEST to determine if they are eligible for support from the Student Support Fund. The annual income limit for eligibility for the 2023/24 Student Support fund is €50,840.

Note: failure to upload income documentation and any other relevant supporting documentation relating to your application will result in it being rejected. 

Applicants are strongly encouraged to request the appropriate financial documentation from the relevant source as early as possible as there can be delays in obtaining this information.

At least one of the following financial documents listed below must be uploaded to your application, to clearly show the household income of the relevant family/parent/guardian. A pdf is the preferred document type and screenshots from phones or websites will not be accepted.

• 2023-24 SUSI Award Letter (All Pages): The full letter of confirmation of receipt of grant from SUSI, clearly displaying the student’s name and address. Ensure any password encryption is removed before uploading.
• 2022 Statement of Liability (previously known as P21) for parent/guardian, which the relevant person can get online at (opens in a new window)www.revenue.ie or by contacting their local Revenue office. You can submit one for yourself if you were 23 or older on 1 January of the year you started your course.
• Social Welfare Statement: Statement from your local Social Welfare Office showing the total amounts received for the tax year 2022 (statement must show payments for Jan 2022-Dec 2022). (opens in a new window)Request a social welfare statement here. 
• Notice of Assessment for 2021 or 2022 for parent/guardian. If it applies, a current letter from the Revenue Commissioners exempting the relevant person from filing tax returns or equivalent from another state.

Note: You will be able to upload only one document to your online application so please save all pages of documents into one file.

• Independent mature student (over 23 years on 1 January of the year you started your course): Please submit all financial details relating to your personal circumstances (as opposed to that of a parent or guardian). 
• Eligible EU nationals from outside of Ireland: you will need to supply scans/photos of original income documents for your parents/guardians. If you were 23 on 1 January of the year you started your course you can submit documents in your own name. All uploaded documents must be officially translated into English, and cover the period of Jan-Dec 2022 (which means you may need to upload documents for more than one year if Jan-Dec 2022 is not covered in one document).

Frequently Asked Questions 

• What is a Statement of Liability?
  This is a form from Revenue previously known as a P21 and is a statement of total income, tax credit and tax paid for a particular tax year. 
• How do I get a Statement of Liability?
  You can request this at (opens in a new window)Revenue.ie
• My parents are self-employed − what documents are required?
  You need a Profit/Loss account and Balance Sheet to show income. You also need a Notice of Assessment certificate for 2020, which is provided by Revenue once your accounts have been submitted and tax has been paid. Your accountant will be able to provide the relevant information. 

The status of your application can be seen on the SISWeb system. 

Due to the influx on applications when the SSF opens, application approval can take up to 3 weeks. Applications are moved from 'Awaiting Verification' to 'Application Verified' which means your application has been approved and funding should be received within 1 week. Please ensure your nominated bank account details are correct on SISWeb. 

You will be contacted by email if there are any outstanding requirements on your application. We would kindly ask that students do not repeatedly email to check their application status, as this can slow down the verification process 

Please note: Your application will not be processed until correct and complete supporting documents have been uploaded to your application. 

Common errors which lead to applications being delayed or rejected are:

Supporting documents being uploaded in the incorrect format and therefore cannot be accessed and verified. Please upload your supporting documentation in PDF format. Alternatively a Word document or JPEG image may also be accepted. 

Please ensure any documentation is not corrupted or password protected before uploading to your SSF application. In particular, please ensure you have removed the password encryption on your SUSI Award Letter. This can be done by clicking 'print to pdf', which will allow you to save and upload it without the password.

Any foreign documentation must be officially translated to English, so that it can be verified. 

Mistakenly clicking the wrong pathway (i.e. HEAR or Non HEAR) will send your application to the wrong department and prevent it from being assessed. Please ensure you tick the correct checkbox.

Words inserted where numbers should be, or numbers inserted where words should be may cause errors in your application and will result in your application not being submitted and not being recorded. 

Students who require assistance in completing their application are advised to contact sfs@ucd.ie. Please do not email any supporting documents to this email address. They will not be accepted. All supporting documents must be uploaded to your online application.

There is no facility for telephone enquiries at this time. All enquiries in relation to the Student Support Fund must be by email to the above email address. Your Student Adviser, Chaplain or the SU Welfare Officer may also be able to assist you with general queries. 

The following students should visit this page on the Access and Lifelong Learning Centre webpage, or e-mail UCD Access and Lifelong Learning ((opens in a new window)ALLstudentSAF@ucd.ie) for assistance with their applications:

• HEAR students 
• Part-time students 
• Students who are parenting 

Any personal data provided to University College Dublin, National University of Ireland (“UCD”) will be processed by UCD as data controller in accordance with data protection law. For further information on how UCD uses your personal data and for information on your data protection rights and how to exercise them, please see the UCD Data Protection Policy. Please note: 

• Personal data collected as part of the application process may be processed for the purposes of coordinating, monitoring and evaluating the operation of the SAF. 
• This personal data may include special category data, including sensitive data such as socio-economic status, where they choose to share that data.
• This data may be shared with third parties such as the HEA for the purposes of allocating funding and for monitoring.

If you are unsure whether or not you may be eligible for financial assistance from either the Student Support Fund or the Student Emergency Fund please contact your Student Adviser in the first instance.