Student Assistance Fund Status:

 

The Student Assistance Fund is currently closed. It will reopen for Semester 1 of the 2026/27 academic year in mid-October.

 

 

 

About The Student Assistance Fund

The Student Assistance Fund is managed by the Higher Education Authority on behalf of the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science.

 

Student Assistance Fund Logos

 

The Student Assistance Fund is currently closed. It will reopen for Semester 1 of the 2026/27 academic year in mid-October.

 

The Student Assistance Fund (SAF) provides financial support to disadvantaged students with ongoing needs for financial support and also offers emergency financial assistance for other students.

As this is an EU-funded initiative, only EU citizens or those who have been deemed eligible for the Free Fees Initiative may apply; international students are not eligible. Students must also be studying on a course that is at least one academic year long in order to apply.

The Student Assistance Fund is managed by the Higher Education Authority on behalf of the Department of Education and Skills.

 

What is the Student Assistance Fund?

The Student Assistance Fund provides once-off financial support (i.e. not continuous) to full- and part-time students who are experiencing financial difficulties while attending college. Students may apply once per term during their studies and will need to make a new application with updated documentation if applying more than once per academic year.

What can SAF awards be used for?

The Student Assistance Fund can help with eligible costs such as:

Rent or mortgage payments
Living expenses: bills, childcare, groceries
Medical expenses: doctor, dentist, etc.
Emergency: this includes bereavement, accidents, family breakdown, or other unforeseen circumstances
Essential transport to/from college
Books or other materials for your course


Funding cannot be awarded to cover any of the following:

Tuition fees 
Registration fees 
Repeat examination fees
Student loan repayments

 

What documentation do I need to provide?

Supporting documentation is required for all cases to show that you are in genuine financial need: your case will not be assessed without it.

Please note: Part-time students must be in receipt of means-tested social welfare in order to be eligible, and need to include proof of this alongside their application.

 

Full-time students must provide:

- Proof of European citizenship (copy of your passport or birth certificate) or Stamp 4 visa
- Proof of the financial emergency
- Full statements for the last three months from all bank, Revolut, Credit Union, and An Post accounts in your name: these must be sent in PDF format, and must show all transactions during the period
- Recent payslips if you are working, proof of seasonal work, or proof that you are not currently working
- SUSI grant letter or Back to Education Allowance letter (if applicable)
- Recent social welfare letter or receipt (if applicable)
- Recent rent or mortgage receipts
- Bills: recent electricity, heating, medical, or other relevant bills
- Statements for the last three months of any loans held 

Part-time students must provide:

- Proof of being on means-tested social welfare

 

- Proof of European citizenship (copy of your passport or birth certificate) or Stamp 4 visa
- Proof of the financial emergency
- Full statements for the last three months from all bank, Revolut, Credit Union, and An Post accounts in your name: these must be sent in PDF format, not screenshots, and must show all transactions during the period
- Recent payslips if you are working, proof of seasonal work, or proof that you are not currently working
- Recent rent or mortgage receipts
- Bills: recent electricity, heating, medical, or other relevant bills
- Statements for the last three months of any loans held 

 

Apply to the Student Assistance Fund

The Student Assistance Fund is currently closed. It will reopen for Semester 1 applications in mid-October 2026.

When the SAF is open, eligible students can apply by completing the relevant online form (full-time or part-time as applicable) in this section. Students may only apply once per semester of their studies for help with eligible expenses.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who can apply for the Student Assistance Fund (SAF)?

All registered NCI students who are in genuine financial distress and meet the qualifying criteria can avail of the SAF. You can apply once per semester each academic year.

You must be an EU citizen or qualify for the Free Fees scheme (e.g. be on a Stamp 4 visa) and also be studying on a course which is at least one academic year long.

Part-time students must also be receiving a form of means-tested social welfare in order to be eligible.

All applications must have all of the supporting documentation in order to be assessed.

I received an SAF award before, am I guaranteed an award the next time I apply?

No, receiving an SAF award in the past does not guarantee that you will receive an award in the current academic year. Students' financial status at the time of their application is always taken into account, so being funded in Semester 1 does not guarantee that you will be funded in subsequent semesters.

Eligibility criteria may also be adjusted per academic year.

What is the special SAF payment for HEAR students?

Students who are on the HEAR scheme are eligible for a special payment from the SAF. After the start of the academic year (usually in October), HEAR students will receive an email asking them to fill out a form with their bank details so that they can be sent this payment.

If HEAR students have not received this email by the end of October, they should contact studentassistancefund@ncirl.ie with a copy of their HEAR letter/email as proof.

This payment is determined by the amount of HEAR students and the total funding NCI receives from the HEA and therefore it is subject to change each academic year.

Please note: HEAR students cannot apply to the main SAF bursary before they have received the special HEAR payment. This also applies in Semester 2 should a top-up payment be made (top-up payments may not be made every year as this is dependent on the allocation of funds by the HEA).

Can I appeal the SAF committee's decision?

All SAF applications are assessed by a committee. If your application was unsuccessful and you have additional supporting documentation which was not included at the time, you can reply to the SAF team's outcome email and request one appeal. Your case will be reassessed in another committee meeting.

Please note that reassessment does not guarantee funding. The committee's reassessment decision is final.

Who can I contact to ask about the SAF?

You can send an email to studentassistancefund@ncirl.ie to speak to a member of the team.

What other financial supports are available?

The Citizen's Information website has a page about funding for students which lists a variety of different supports. You may qualify for the SUSI grant or Back to Education Allowance (BETA) which can help pay for your course fees.

NCI also offers a number of scholarships and discounts.

MABS, the Money Advice and Budgeting Service, are an external service which offers free budgeting advice.