Important:
If you are a Non-EU undergraduate student who is currently registered to a full-time course of at least one year’s duration, please stay on this page to see if you are eligible for the Rent Assistance Fund.
If you are an EU undergraduate student who has applied successfully to the Universal Student Support Fund, please visit this page for information about the Rent Assistance Fund.
If you are a postgraduate research student, please visit this page for information about the Rent Assistance Fund.
NB. Students who are already in receipt of rent-specific funding to the value of €5,000 or more per year are not eligible to apply for this fund. This includes federal or state rent aid/sponsorship.
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An overview of rent support available to non-EU undergraduate students:
In recognition of the cost of rental accommodation, UCD has made available funding for a once-off payment to undergraduate students from low-income households who are paying for rented accommodation. Non-EU students currently registered to full-time programmes of at least one year’s duration are invited to apply for this rent assistance fund payment of €1,000.
This support is means-tested, with a household income threshold for 2024 of €58,470, in line with similar supports available to EU undergraduate students. Applicants must provide evidence that their household income for 2024 fell below this threshold. Acceptable documentation is detailed below.
Please note that whilst we endeavour to support all eligible students, this is a limited fund. We encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible. Applications will be assessed in the order they are received. The fund will close once the funds have been exhausted.
Who can apply?
This support is open to non-EU undergraduate students who:
- Are currently registered and actively engaged in in full-time courses of at least one year's duration,
- Are paying rent for the 2025–26 academic year,
- Have a household income for 2024 below €58,470.
What is the application deadline?
Rent Assistance Fund applications opened at 9am on Thursday, 20 November 2025 and will close at 4pm on Friday, 20 March 2026.
Applications submitted after this date will not be accepted.
How much will I receive?
All eligible students will receive a once-off payment of €1,000.
How do I apply?
On Thursday 20 November, communication was sent out via the Student Ezine to advise students that rent support is available for undergraduate students. Non-EU students can apply for this fund via this (opens in a new window)Google form, which must be completed in full.
As part of their application, students must upload a financial document, such as a 2024 Statement of Liability, showing their household income for 2024.
Students must also provide evidence that they are renting for the current academic year, 2025-26. See acceptable types of documentation below.
What documentation must I supply?
Proof of Income:
Applicants must provide evidence that their household income for 2024 falls below the threshold of €58,470.
Acceptable documentation includes a 2024 Statement of Liability for a parent/guardian or for yourself (available at (opens in a new window)the Revenue Commissioners). Please note that you can only submit a financial document for yourself if you were 23 years of age or older on 1 January of the year you began your course.
If you are an international student and cannot provide a Statement of Liability, you must provide an equivalent, government-issued, financial document showing household income for 2024. All documents must be uploaded in English. A machine translation is acceptable.
Proof of Rent:
You must provide one of the following documents as proof of rent:
- A Lease or Tenancy Agreement in your name, dated for the current academic year.
- A dated and signed letter from your landlord or rental company on headed paper, confirming you are a current tenant and specifying the monthly rent amount.
- UCD or other student accommodation rent statements in your name showing payments made since 1 September 2025.
- A bank statement in your name that clearly shows regular monthly or weekly rent payments for the last 2 months. NB. Please highlight the rent payments on your statement as this will speed up the verification process. All other information can be redacted.
HAP and Council statements are accepted.
Any Tenancy Agreement that is dated before 2025 must be accompanied by supporting evidence such as bank statements, rent receipts, or a confirmation letter from your landlord.
ATM statements showing cash withdrawals will only be accepted if accompanied by rent receipts, notes from a rent book, or a confirmation letter from your landlord
How will I know if my application is successful?
Applications are reviewed in the order they are received and typically take 4–6 weeks to assess. Please note that the University will be closed from 23 December to 4 January; applications will not be assessed during this period.
Students will be contacted from the (opens in a new window)sfs@ucd.ie email account if their application is incomplete or if there are any outstanding requirements.
Applications with all required evidence will be processed for payment starting Monday, 19 January 2026. Successful applicants will receive their one-off payment within 5–7 working days of processing.
Please note, students who have submitted complete documentation will not be contacted until after Monday 19 January 2026, when they will receive an email confirming the success of their application.
Applications received after 19 January 2026 will continue to be assessed, but processing will take 4–6 weeks from the date of submission. Once again, students will be contacted from the (opens in a new window)sfs@ucd.ie email account if there are any outstanding requirements.
No applications after the closing date of Friday 20 March 2026 will be accepted; however, outstanding requirements will be accepted after the closing date.
Students are kindly asked to be patient during this time and to not send emails enquiring on the status of their application as this could slow down the verification process.
NB. Students who apply to both the SSF Rent Support and UG Rent Support will only be eligible to receive funding from one source if their application is approved.