Student Assistance Fund

The Student Assistance Fund provides financial support to students who are in significant financial difficulty and whose participation in college would be at risk without such support.

The SAF is available to assist students who are unable to meet costs associated with day-to-day participation in higher education, including:

• Books
• Class materials
• Rent
• Heating and lighting bills
• Food
• Essential travel
• In the case of parent students, childcare costs
• Medical costs

Costs for which the SAF is not available:

• Tuition Fees
• Registration Fees
• Servicing Student Loans
• Petrol/Diesel

Find out more information here: Student Assistance Fund | Funding, Governance and Performance | Higher Education Authority (hea.ie)

To be eligible to apply to the Student Assistance Fund this academic year, students must be in at least one or more of the following categories and evidence must be provided.

1. 1st year or 2nd year students who have entered IADT via the Higher Education Access Route (HEAR)
2. Students who are in receipt of a means-tested social welfare payment or dependent upon their spouse or partner’s social welfare payment.
3. Students who are dependent on their parent(s)/legal guardian, who are in receipt of a means-tested social welfare payment.
4. Students who are in receipt of at least a 100% SUSI student contribution fees grant.
5. Students who do not have a SUSI grant or social welfare payment but are from a relatively low income household and with significant personal emergency expenditure in excess of personal income, with details provided of the circumstances.

Click here to find out if you qualify for support: Student Assistance Fund Eligibility Checker.

Additional information

The SAF is also available to assist part-time students with the day to day costs of participating in higher education.

Students who are lone parents, and students with childcare costs or in families with these costs, are encouraged to apply as additional funding has been made available to support this group.

Additional funds have also been made available for students experiencing accommodation crisis.

Applicants must submit supporting documentation. Please have these ready to upload to your application, or to email to saf@staging.iadt.ie.

The applicant must provide:

1. For grant recipients, a letter from SUSI / Local Authority confirming that you have been approved for a grant and the grant’s rate.

Or

2. For social welfare recipients, Proof of a means tested social welfare payment e.g. a medical card, social welfare statement

Or

3. For 1st or 2nd Year HEAR entrants, a letter confirming HEAR eligibility

Or

All other applicants, please submit evidence

of household income for 2024. This must be one of the following:

• Statement of Liability of 2024 ( Former P21 (PAYE workers))
• Self-Assessment Letter (self-employed)

Students must submit their parent’s/ guardian’s income, unless over 23 and living alone. (Refer to SUSI criteria for mature student Applicant Class – SUSI : SUSI )

To demonstrate recent financial challenge please submit 3 x months bank statements. Only submit statements for an active bank account (this can be Revolut).

Applications are now closed. For more information please contact saf@staging.iadt.ie

Applications are assessed by the Student Assistance Fund committee. This may include members of the Student Experience team as well as other administrative and academic staff. Students’ application details will be held in strict confidence.

You will be notified of the decision of the SAF Committee by email to your student email address.

The amount payable to each student varies every year depending on the volume of students applying to the fund.

The following process has been put in place to allow IADT students to have their application reconsidered if they are not satisfied with the outcome of their original application:

• Students must re-submit a new application form containing any new information they wish to be considered..
• Students must submit a cover letter stating why they wish their appeal to be considered.
• The appeal is examined by a different person/group from the first application, to ensure independence and objectivity.
• If necessary, students may be interviewed to verify details of the appeal.
• Students will be informed in writing by email of the outcome of their appeal.