Financial Assistance for Postgraduates
Registered postgraduates may apply to PAS for some financial assistance to help with living expenses and, in certain circumstances, for a waiver/ refund of the Student Levies and Charges (SLC).
All applications are assessed individually against the funds available and an award is made against a specific cost (e.g. rent, childcare, emergency medical expenses). Due to the limited funds available, the number of successful recipients and amounts awarded varies each year.
Unfortunately, there is no Financial Assistance available to help students with tuition fees.
There is an appeals procedure available for students who wish to appeal a decision of the committee. In the first instance you should contact the Postgraduate Student Support Officer to discuss your case. If you are still not satisfied, the PGSSO will provide you with the information for taking an appeal.
Postgraduate Student Assistance Fund
Applications to the Postgraduate Student Assistance Fund are now closed.
The online application form is no longer available.
The Postgraduate Student Assistance Fund (SAF) is operated by PAS behalf of the Postgraduate Financial Assistance Committee and provides financial support to registered postgraduates who are experiencing short or long-term financial difficulties while attending higher education. The SAF is co-funded by the Irish Government and the European Social Funds Qualifying criteria for financial assistance are approved annually by the Postgraduate Financial Assistance Committee chaired by the Senior Tutor and whose membership includes the Dean of Graduate Studies and a student representative. All applications are treated in confidence, and are subject to the Senior Tutor Services Privacy Statement STO Privacy Statement.
If you are considering submitting an application, make sure to complete the 6 step process below and read the Guidelines on Supporting Documentation. We also recommend that you take a look at the slides and video below from the recent Information Session on the Postgraduate Student Assistance Fund:
Six steps for applying to the Postgraduate Student Assistance Fund
Step 1: Review the slides and recording of the SAF information session above.
Step 2: Complete the online application form (this normally goes live in late October)
Step 3: Gather your supporting documentation (detailed list of what is required is below and also outlined in online application). For each of the categories below (rent, utilities etc.), we can allocate funding if the relevant documentation is provided. Documentation supplied must be in English or accompanied by a certified translation.
Step 4: Using your backup documents as evidence, download and complete this Personal Statement Form outlining your current financial situation and indicating what you would allocate funding to if successful (e.g. one month’s rent, or three months’ transport costs)
Step 5: Send your backup documentation and Personal Statement Form in 1 file (scanned) to postgrad.support@tcd.ie - only 1 file per student will be accepted, so please ensure you have included all relevant documentation. Ensure your email has the following subject line format: surname_firstname_student number_docs_SAF
Step 6: Ensure you have entered your bank details accurately on your my.tcd.ie portal as all payments are made directly to this account.
Single/ independent students
Below is a list of the documentation which is required for students who are classified as independent or who are unmarried/ not in a civil partnership.
- Applicant’s Statement of Liability (formerly P21) or equivalent, or Social Welfare letter - This is a core document, applications cannot be considered without this
- 3 months’ most recent bank statements for student - This is a core document, applications cannot be considered without this
- Applicant’s payslips (most recent 3, if currently employed) - This is a core document, applications cannot be considered without this if you are currently employed
- Proof of student’s rent (if applicable)
- Proof of SUSI grant if qualified
- Scholarship/ studentship details
- If the applicant has dependents in childcare (registered providers only) or full-time education, evidence of this must be provided
- Proof of single parent family income/ legal child maintenance agreement
- Recent copies of all household utility bills, other bills
- Evidence of costs of travel to College or placement
Married and/or Dependent Students
Below is a list of the documentation which is required for students who are married/ civil partnered or who are classified as a dependent student. A student is classified as dependent if they were under 23 years of age on the first of January in the year they commenced their current course:
- Applicant’s Statement of Liability (formerly P21) or equivalent, or Social Welfare letter - This is a core document, applications cannot be considered without this
- Parents’ or Spouse’s Statement of Liability (formerly P21) or Social Welfare letter - This is a core document, applications cannot be considered without this
- 3 months’ most recent bank statements for student - This is a core document, applications cannot be considered without this
- Applicant’s payslips (most recent 3, if currently employed) - This is a core document, applications cannot be considered without this if you are currently employed
- Proof of applicant’s rent (if applicable)
- Proof of SUSI grant if qualified
- Scholarship/ studentship details
- If the applicant has dependents in childcare (registered providers only) or full-time education, evidence of this must be provided
- Proof of single parent family income/ legal child maintenance
- Recent copies of all household utility bills, other bills
- Evidence of costs of travel to College or placement
Qualifying criteria for financial assistance are approved annually by the Board of the College.
All applications are treated in confidence, and are considered by the Postgraduate Financial Assistance Committee whose membership includes the Senior Tutor and Vice President of the GSU. The committee is chaired by the Dean of Graduate Studies.
Student Levies & Charges (SLC) Waiver
Postgraduate students can apply for a waiver or refund of the Student Levies & Charges (SLC). The SLC can only be waived in cases where the student has already been approved for Postgraduate Financial Assistance for that year or in the case of students whose whole household income is reliant on social welfare and where evidence of this has been provided.
It is not possible to waive this fee in any other circumstances.
An application must be completed and emailed to postgrad.support@tcd.ie with any relevant backup documentation scanned and emailed to the same address in one file only. No applications will be reviewed until relevant backup documentation has been provided.Please ensure your email has the following subject line format:
surname_firstname_student number_docs_SPORTThe closing date for final receipt of application forms is 5pm on the last Friday of the semester 2 teaching weeks. No application forms will be accepted after this date. Students may claim for an SLC wavier/ refund for the current academic year only.
The application form may be found here: Student Levies&Charges Waiver Application Form