How Much Is the SUSI Grant Per Month? (2026/27)

By SugarBowl.ie Editorial Team · 16 June 2026

How Much Is the SUSI Grant Per Month?

SUSI does not pay you a monthly wage. It sets an annual maintenance figure and pays it out in instalments across the academic year, which is why the number in your account never matches the number you read about. For 2026/27 the monthly equivalent works out at roughly €68 to €880 a month, depending on your band and how far you live from college.

Looking for the full rates table, income limits and eligibility rules? Read the full 2026/27 SUSI breakdown, bands and calculator — this page is only about what it works out at per month.

The monthly equivalent, band by band

Maintenance is spread over the college year, roughly nine months. Divide the annual rate by nine and you get the honest monthly figure:

Most students are not on the Special Rate. The realistic middle of that table — somewhere between €150 and €400 a month — is where the majority land.

When the money actually arrives

This is the part that catches first-years out. SUSI pays in instalments tied to the academic terms, not on a fixed date each month like a salary. The first payment usually comes after your college confirms your registration, which means the front end of first term — the exact point where rent deposits, fees and setup costs hit — is often the longest stretch with nothing landing.

Two practical consequences:

1. Budget from the annual figure, not the monthly one. The monthly equivalent is an average, not a schedule.
2. Assume a gap at the start. Plan for September and early October to be covered by something other than the grant.

Why the monthly figure feels smaller than it sounds

€880 a month sounds workable. €197 does not. And the gap between those two numbers is mostly just the distance between your home and your college.

Set the monthly figure against real costs and the maths gets uncomfortable fast. A room in Dublin, Cork or Galway alone will usually swallow the entire monthly equivalent of a mid-band non-adjacent grant before you have eaten, travelled or bought a single book. Even the top rate, at around €880 a month, is roughly a room and food — with nothing left for anything else.

That is not a complaint about the scheme. Maintenance was designed as a contribution toward living costs, not a living wage, and it does what it says. It just means that for most students the monthly number is a floor to build on, not a budget to live on.

What students do about the shortfall

If you have run the numbers and the monthly figure leaves you short, you are in extremely ordinary company. Most people close the gap with some combination of family support, part-time work, and cutting the cost side down.

We have written honestly about the realistic options, including what they actually pay and what they cost you in time, in making money as a student in Ireland. If the cost side is the problem rather than the income side, why student accommodation is so expensive in Ireland explains where the money is going.

Frequently asked questions

How much is the SUSI grant per month? Roughly €68 to €880 a month for 2026/27, depending on your band and whether you are adjacent or non-adjacent. That is the annual maintenance rate divided across a nine-month college year — SUSI pays in instalments, not monthly.

Does SUSI pay monthly? No. It pays in instalments across the academic year once your registration is confirmed by your college. The monthly figure is an average, not a payment schedule.

When does the first SUSI payment come through? After your college confirms you are registered, so typically some weeks into first term. Plan for the start of the year to be covered by something else.

Is the monthly amount enough to live on? For most students, no. Even the highest rate is close to rent plus food in the larger cities, with nothing left over. Most students supplement it.

Where do these figures come from? They are derived from the maintenance grant rates set in the Student Grant Scheme 2026 (S.I. No. 70/2026) and published on susi.ie. Confirm your own band and rate on susi.ie — the full rates and income limits are in our 2026/27 SUSI breakdown.