Budget 2025/26

While student records will be updated over the coming days, it is unclear when refunds will be permitted to be processed. We are awaiting further clarity from the Department of Further and higher education, research, innovation and science which is expected to take a few weeks.

Please ensure that you bank details are on your student record by checking the finance tab on your portal if you have made an overpayment of €500 towards the student contribution.

Updates will be posted here as soon as we have confirmation on when refunds will be processed. 

The full statement is as below:

Further and higher education, research, innovation and science

The Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science continues to foster adult learning, and the development of the skills needed to support our workforce and enterprise sector.

In 2026, the department will receive an allocation of almost €5 billion. €4.1 billion of current expenditure will allow for:

• Supporting Students and Families

  • Permanent €500 reduction in the student contribution fee – the first permanent reduction since free fees were introduced in 1995. Apprentices in higher education will also see an up to 17% cut to their contribution, applied on a pro-rata basis.
  • More families will qualify for student grants - the income threshold to receive a SUSI student contribution grant will rise to €120,000 – the highest ever. This change could benefit thousands of additional undergraduate students.
  • 30,000 students to get more support when living or travelling away from home - from September 2026, SUSI non-adjacent payments will rise by €200–€430, with a pro-rata increase this academic year - helping students who live 30km or more from their college campus with the cost of rent, travel, and day-to-day living.
  • Postgraduate support boosted - the SUSI postgraduate fee contribution grant is rising from €4,000 to €4,500, backed by a €1 million investment.

An €810 million capital allocation will fund key infrastructure projects, including:

• the recently established Taighde Éireann will be supported to drive excellence in research, attract international research talent and promote knowledge transfer;
• student accommodation projects at Maynooth University and University College Dublin;
• development and operation of 11 technological university facilities covering 70,000 metres squared and supporting stem and related disciplines;
• two new veterinary medicine colleges to almost double the number of veterinary graduates;
• the progression of centres of excellence for retrofit skills, including Near Zero Energy Buildings and the National Demonstration Park for Modern Methods of Construction under Housing for All

By nurturing talent, we can strengthen our nation's competitiveness on the global stage, ensuring that a thriving enterprise sector is at the heart of our economic resilience.