What the 30km line is worth
Distance only changes the maintenance grant. Fee support (the student contribution SUSI pays to your college) is the same either side of 30km.
| Band | Under 30km (adjacent) | 30km or more (non-adjacent) | Difference a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Special rate of maintenance | €3,230 | €7,936 | €4,706 |
| Band 1: full maintenance | €1,774 | €4,722 | €2,948 |
| Band 2: part maintenance | €1,343 | €3,532 | €2,189 |
| Band 3: part maintenance | €975 | €2,702 | €1,727 |
| Band 4: part maintenance | €612 | €1,866 | €1,254 |
These are the 2026/27 rates. Budget 2027 raises every maintenance rate by 4.5% from January 2027, which widens the gap slightly; the new per-band amounts are not published yet. See Budget 2027 and SUSI.
Where the distance is measured from
From your normal residence, which SUSI defines by applicant class:
- Dependent or mature dependent student: your parents’ (or guardians’) permanent home address.
- Independent student: your own permanent home address.
Student accommodation, digs or a flat you rent for term do not count. A first-year from Kildare renting in Rathmines is measured from the family home in Kildare.
The other end of the route is the campus where your course takes place, not the university’s head office. TU Dublin, for example, has separate Eircodes for Blanchardstown, Tallaght and the city campus.
How SUSI measures it
SUSI measures the shortest most direct route in Google Maps, using the Eircode of your home (if you gave one) and the Eircode of your campus. It runs the route with fixed settings:
| Setting | Route 1 | Route 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Units | Kilometres | Kilometres |
| Departure time | 1am | 1am |
| Tolls | Avoided | Avoided |
| Motorways | Included | Avoided |
Whichever route comes out shorter is the one SUSI uses. Two consequences follow. A 1am departure means traffic plays no part. And because the shorter of two routes wins, the number can be a little lower than what your phone shows for a normal daytime drive.
Check your own distance
- Open Google Maps on a computer and choose Directions, by car.
- Enter your home Eircode, then your campus Eircode from the table below.
- Set departure to 1am on any weekday. Under Options, tick Avoid tolls.
- Note the shortest distance. Then also tick Avoid highways and note that one too.
- The lower of the two is your SUSI distance.
If you land within a kilometre or two of 30, do it carefully: a different start point on a long rural lane can tip it either way. That is exactly why SUSI uses your Eircode, so give the correct one on the application.
Campus Eircodes SUSI uses
SUSI publishes the Eircode it measures to for each higher education campus. PLC and further education colleges have their own list on the same SUSI page.
| College or campus | Eircode |
|---|---|
| Atlantic TU, Galway-Mayo | H91T8NW |
| Atlantic TU, Letterkenny | F92FC93 |
| Atlantic TU, Sligo | F91YW50 |
| Atlantic TU, St. Angela's College | F91C634 |
| Carlow College (St. Patrick's) | R93A003 |
| Dublin City University | D09Y074 |
| Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design & Technology | A96KH79 |
| Dundalk Institute of Technology | A91K584 |
| Law Society of Ireland | D07VY24 |
| Marino Institute of Education | D09R232 |
| Mary Immaculate College | V94VN26 |
| Maynooth University | W23TW77 |
| Munster Technological University, Cork | T12T66T |
| Munster Technological University, Kerry | V92CX88 |
| National College of Art & Design | D08K521 |
| National College of Ireland | D01K6W2 |
| Pontifical University, St Patrick's College | W23TW77 |
| Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland | D02YN77 |
| South East TU, Carlow | R93V960 |
| South East TU, Waterford | X91K0EK |
| The Honourable Society of King's Inns | D01KF59 |
| Trinity College Dublin | D02PN40 |
| TU Dublin, Blanchardstown | D15YV78 |
| TU Dublin, City Campus | D02HW71 |
| TU Dublin, Tallaght | D24FKT9 |
| TUS Midlands Midwest, Athlone | N37HD68 |
| TUS Midlands Midwest, Limerick | V94EC5T |
| University College Cork | T12K8AF |
| University College Dublin | D04V1W8 |
| University of Galway | H91TK33 |
| University of Limerick | V94T9PX |
When the distance can change
SUSI will re-measure if:
- your normal residence changes permanently (the family moves, or you, as an independent student, move home);
- your course requires an off-campus placement of at least one semester;
- your course requires a period of study abroad of up to one year.
SUSI can ask for evidence of any of these. A permanent move is a change in your ordinary residence, one of the non-income changes covered in our change of circumstances guide. When you renew, the form asks directly whether your home address has changed and whether this year of the course is somewhere other than the main campus.
If you think SUSI got it wrong
“Adjacent or non-adjacent rate” is a ground in its own right for a review or an appeal. Run the two routes yourself with the settings above, screenshot both, and upload them with your request through My Requests in the portal. The appeal deadline is 30 days from the decision; the steps are in the appeal guide.
To see what both rates would mean for you, switch the distance in the student grant calculator.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between the adjacent and non-adjacent SUSI rate?
Adjacent means your college is under 30km from your normal residence; non-adjacent means 30km or more. The non-adjacent rate is higher in every band: €4,722 instead of €1,774 a year in Band 1 for 2026/27, and €7,936 instead of €3,230 on the special rate.
Does SUSI measure 30km in a straight line?
No. SUSI measures the shortest most direct route by road in Google Maps, from your normal residence to the campus where your course takes place. It runs the route twice, departing at 1am with tolls avoided, once including motorways and once avoiding them, and uses whichever is shorter.
If I rent a flat near college, do I get the adjacent rate?
Not because of the flat. For a dependent student, normal residence is your parents’ permanent home address, so the distance is measured from there whatever you rent during term. For an independent student it is your own permanent home address.
My course is on a different campus from the main university. Which one counts?
The campus where your course takes place. SUSI publishes an Eircode for each campus it uses, and the renewal form asks whether this year of your course is at a place other than the main campus, so tell SUSI if it is.
Can I appeal the distance decision?
Yes. Adjacent or non-adjacent rate is one of the listed grounds for a review or appeal through My Requests in the SUSI portal. Appeals must be lodged within 30 days of the decision.
Source: SUSI’s adjacency page (measurement settings and campus Eircodes) and the 2026/27 rate tables, checked on 25 October 2026.