UCD Students Union calls on government to disregard students’ PUP income when applying for SUSI grants

UCD Students’ Union say they wrote to Minister Simon Harris on June 15 to request that the Pandemic Unemployment Payment is removed from income eligibility requirements for the SUSI grant this year. 

Ruairí Power, President, UCD Students’ Union said;

“The Pandemic Unemployment Payment will form part of the eligibility criteria for students who avail of the SUSI grant. 

“This means that some students will be over the threshold for financial support and will not be able to access a SUSI grant this year.

“This will affect students, who in a normal year would have worked part-time during the semester and would not be over the threshold.

“This year has been a very tough year for students who have been unable to work and they have been studying remotely.

“It would be a very hard hit to a student who went through all of this and then could not return to their studies because they could no longer have access to a SUSI grant. UCD Students’ Union is asking the government to remove the Pandemic Unemployment Payment from the income eligibility requirements for SUSI.”
 
Carla Gummerson, Graduate Officer, UCD Students’ Union said; 

“Students were not made aware that their ability to access SUSI grants would be impacted if they received PUP payments during the pandemic.

“Some students will be locked out of further and higher education this year if it is not resolved. Some students are halfway or more through a degree and may not have the finances to return to their studies without a SUSI grant.

“The PUP income element should be disregarded to ensure that all students who need a grant will have access to it.”