Renewal or new application?
You are a renewal applicant if SUSI funded you last year and you are going into the next year of the same course in the same college. Everyone else applies new, including people who have had a SUSI grant before. SUSI lists three situations that need a new application:
- You finished a course and are starting a one-year add-on, for example a Level 8 year after a three-year Level 7.
- You changed course or college, or are starting a different course.
- You deferred a year and are coming back to the same course.
If you start a renewal and answer Yes to the questions about changing course, the portal sends you to the new application form. Answered Yes by mistake? Use the Home icon and the reset application button and start again.
One practical difference: a new application has a new reference number (W2627 for this year), and SUSI says you must enter your bank details again for it, even if it paid you last year.
The dates
| 2026/27 | Date |
|---|---|
| Renewals opened | Thursday 5 March 2026, 12 noon |
| Priority date for renewals | Thursday 11 June 2026 |
| New applications opened | Wednesday 1 April 2026, 12 noon |
| Final closing date, all online applications | Thursday 5 November 2026 |
Renewals open about a month before new applications, and their priority date is a month earlier too. Hitting the priority date is what gets the award in place for the September payment. SUSI has not published the 2027/28 dates yet; we add them to the deadline page when it does.
A renewal is a new means test
The renewal form has a full household income section, filled in by you and, depending on your class, your parents or your partner. Each year is assessed on the previous calendar year:
- 2026/27 renewals: 2025 income, against the 2026/27 thresholds.
- 2027/28 renewals: 2026 income, against the 2027/28 thresholds (not yet published).
So a parent’s pay rise in 2026 can push you into a lower band in 2027/28, and a drop can move you up. Budget 2027 also changes the picture: maintenance rates rise 4.5% from January 2027 and new fee grants for families with more than one student start in September 2027 (see Budget 2027 and SUSI). Once you know your 2026 household income, the calculator gives a first estimate on the current tables.
The renewal questions that change your grant
- Has your permanent home address changed? A move can switch you between the adjacent (under 30km) and non-adjacent rate. How SUSI measures it is in the 30km rule.
- Study abroad, off-campus placement, or a campus other than the main one. Compulsory study abroad of up to a year and placements of at least a semester can change the distance SUSI uses. Maintenance can continue while you are away, as long as it does not extend the normal length of the course.
- Dependent children. Counted as on 1 October 2025 for 2026/27: under 16, 16 or over in full-time education, or 16 or over and certified permanently unfit to work. Four or more moves your household into a higher-threshold column.
- Relevant persons in college. Each brother, sister, parent (or, for an independent student, partner) in full-time further or higher education in Ireland, the UK or another EU member state raises the income limits. SUSI only counts them if they are entered here.
- Other financial assistance. Scholarships or other funding for the year have to be declared.
What comes back
One of three letters:
- Award letter: nothing more needed; it lists the steps before payment (college registration and bank details).
- Checklist letter: SUSI needs documents. See the documents checklist.
- Refusal letter: with the reasons and how to request a review or appeal.
How many years SUSI will fund
| Level | Maximum funding, full-time |
|---|---|
| PLC (Level 5 and 6) | 3 years in total |
| Undergraduate Level 6 | 2 years |
| Undergraduate Level 7 | 3 years |
| Undergraduate Level 6 and 7 combined | 4 years |
| Undergraduate Level 8 | 4 years, unless the course is normally longer |
| Postgraduate | 4 years in total |
The other rule to know: SUSI does not fund a repeat period of study except in exceptional circumstances. If you left a course part way through and start another at the same level, you may get fewer instalments, after completing an equivalent period of study. SUSI’s example: three months done on a Level 7 course means six payments instead of nine on the next Level 7, starting after three months. Mature students with a three-year break may qualify as second chance students.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to renew my SUSI grant every year?
Yes. A SUSI grant covers one academic year. To keep it for the next year of the same course you complete a renewal application in the student portal; SUSI emails grant holders when renewals open. In 2026 renewals opened on 5 March.
Is a SUSI renewal means tested again?
Yes. The renewal form includes a full household income section, so each year is assessed on the previous calendar year’s income against that year’s thresholds. 2026/27 renewals used 2025 income; 2027/28 renewals will use 2026 income. Your band can go up or down.
I changed course. Can I renew?
No. Changing course or college, starting a new course, taking a one-year add-on course after finishing a Level 7, or coming back after deferring all need a new application, not a renewal. A new application also gets a new W number, and you have to enter your bank details again.
Will SUSI fund me if I repeat a year?
Not normally. SUSI does not fund a repeat period of study except in exceptional circumstances. If you left a course part way through and start another at the same level, you may get a reduced number of instalments once you have completed an equivalent period of study.
What is the deadline to renew SUSI?
For 2026/27 the priority date for renewals was Thursday 11 June 2026 and the final closing date for all online applications is Thursday 5 November 2026. Renewing by the priority date is what gets your grant ready for the first payment in September.
Sources: SUSI’s renewal applications page, renewal form guide and progression rules, checked on 25 October 2026.