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Who is the 1916 Bursary for?
The 1916 Bursary is for first time entrants to Higher Education who are from one or more of the following groups:
- Socio-economically disadvantaged communities
- Socio-economic groups that have low participation rates in higher education
- Students with a disability
- Students who are carers
- Students entering on the basis of a QQI Further Education award
- Lone and/or teen parents in receipt of a long-term means-tested social welfare payment
- Members of the Irish Traveller Community
- Members of the Roma Community
- First time, mature student entrants and 2nd chance mature students
- Persons from ethnic minorities who are lawfully present in the State
What are the criteria?
Financial + Priority Group + College Entry = Eligible for consideration.
To see if you may be eligible to apply for a 1916 Bursary, please see the Criteria Quick Check page.
What are the College Entry criteria?
Applicants for the 1916 Bursary must:
- Demonstrate that they would qualify for the special rate of maintenance grant under the Student Grant Scheme (SUSI) and/or are in receipt of a Department of Social Protection (DSP) long-term means-tested social welfare payment.
- Be a new entrant pursuing an undergraduate course and progressing to higher education for the first time (or by advanced entry to year 2) in the 2022-23 academic year
- Have been a resident in the Irish State for three of the past five years
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Be studying an approved full-time or part-time undergraduate course*
*an approved fulltime or part-time undergraduate course leading to a major higher education and training award at Level 6 (Higher Certificate), Level 7 (Ordinary Bachelor Degree), Level 8 (Honours Bachelor Degree) on the national framework of qualifications or equivalent awards that take not less than two years to complete. - AND be from one or more of the below Target Groups or from any priority group identified as part of the next National Access Plan (2022-2028)
What is the SUSI special rate?
There is a special rate of grant available for eligible students. The conditions you need to meet to qualify for this rate of grant are as follows:
- You must qualify for the ordinary rate of grant
- Your total reckonable household income must not exceed €24,500
- On 31st December of the previous year to your application, the reckonable household income must include an eligible long-term Department of Social Protection payment as prescribed under the scheme or its equivalence from an EU Member State.
What are the Priority Groups?
Eligible 1916 Bursary applicants must be from one or more of the following priority groups:
- Students from communities, groups or areas that are socio-economically disadvantaged or that have low levels of participation in higher education, including those who have experienced homelessness, the care system, survivors of domestic violence, and those who have experience of the criminal justice system
- Students who qualify for the special rate of maintenance grant under the Student Grant Scheme (SUSI) and/or are in receipt of a Department of Social Protection (DSP) payment are also considered to be socio-economically disadvantaged.
- Socio-economically disadvantaged mature students (23 or older on 1 January of their year of entry to higher education – and having never previously accessed higher education);
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Second-chance socio-economically disadvantaged mature students. Such students may be considered for a bursary where they have:
-previously attended but not completed a course
-had a five-year break in studies since leaving the course, and
-are returning to attend an approved course. - Students with a disability
- Members of the Irish Traveller community
- Members of the Roma community
- Further education and training award holders progressing to higher education
- Students who are carers (confirmed by the Department of Social Protection (DSP) as holding a long-term means-tested carer’s allowance)
- Lone parents or teen parents (confirmed by the Department of Social Protection (DSP) as holding a long-term means-tested social welfare payment) – at least 20% of Tier 1 bursaries will be targeted at lone parents
- Students who are migrants, refugees or who are from ethnic minorities who are lawfully present in the State
Who administers the 1916 Bursary?
All the Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are awarding the Bursaries as regional clusters.
| Regional Cluster | Higher Education Institutions | No. of Bursaries |
|---|---|---|
| Leinster Pillar 1 | University College Dublin; National College of Art and Design; Marino Institute of Education; Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology; Trinity College Dublin; Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. | Tier 1- 51 Tier 2 - 20 |
| MEND | Maynooth University; Technological University of the Shannon (TUS) Midlands Campus; Dublin City University; and Dundalk Institute of Technology. | Tier 1- 48 Tier 2 - 22 |
| Mid West | University of Limerick, Mary Immaculate College, Technological University of the Shannon (TUS) Midwest Campus. | Tier 1- 41 Tier 2 - 15 |
| SOAR | University College Cork, Munster Technological University, South East Technological University. | Tier 1- 47 Tier 2 - 28 |
| TU Dublin | Technological University of Dublin | Tier 1 - 31 Tier 2 - 15 |
| West North-West | University of Galway, Atlantic Technological University | Tier 1 - 35 Tier 2 - 15 |
Additional Information
For more information, visit the following links:
For more information, contact the Access Office in one of the participating colleges
What is the 1916 Bursary?
The 1916 Bursary is a financial award to encourage the participation and success of students from sections of society that are significantly under-represented in higher education.
Can I apply?
To be eligible for a 1916 Bursary, all applicants must meet, Financial, Target Group and College Entry eligibility criteria.