Student Universal Support Ireland [SUSI]

What Student Universal Support Ireland [SUSI] does

Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) is Ireland's national awarding authority for further and higher education grants, operating as a statutory government body under the oversight of the Department of Further and Higher Education. The organization administers student grant funding for eligible students at Post-Leaving Certificate (PLC), undergraduate, and postgraduate levels, including — in some cases — students enrolled at approved institutions outside Ireland. SUSI serves the student population of the Republic of Ireland through a direct-to-consumer service model in which students apply for grants at no charge and funding is sourced from Irish government budgetary allocations rather than from commercial revenue.

The organization runs a digital-first service built around an online grant management platform with three primary touchpoints: an Eligibility Indicator (a web-based questionnaire that gives prospective applicants an indication of likely eligibility), a student registration and application portal hosted at grantsonline.ie, and a post-application student portal for tracking decisions, updating details, and managing renewals and appeals. The platform handles eligibility assessment, application processing, document upload, decision issuance, and grant disbursement. Distribution is entirely self-service via web channels, supplemented by phone (0818 888 777) and email ([email protected]) support; SUSI does not use physical retail or third-party reseller channels and does not charge students for applications. Marketing is conducted almost exclusively through the susi.ie website, including a bilingual English/Irish (Gaeilge) interface.

SUSI partners with the Government of Ireland (gov.ie) and the City of Dublin Education and Training Board (CDETB), and operates from a headquarters in Little Island, Cork, with national reach across the Republic of Ireland. As a statutory agency, SUSI does not generate commercial revenue — the organization functions as a distributor of public funds rather than a commercial enterprise, and pricing details and financial figures are not publicly disclosed. Its product set currently includes the core Student Grant Administration System, the Eligibility Indicator, the Student Portal, and a Part-Time Funding program for part-time undergraduate students. The organization is actively operating with applications open for the 2026/27 academic year.

Name

Student Universal Support Ireland [SUSI]

Legal name

Student Universal Support Ireland

Website

https://susi.ie

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) is Ireland's national awarding authority administering further and higher education grants for eligible PLC, undergraduate, and postgraduate students through a digital self-service platform funded by the Irish government.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Student Grant Administration

NAICS

Administration of Education Programs (92311), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Federal & Federally-Sponsored Credit Agencies (6111)

akta.pro primary industry

Government Student Financial Aid Agencies (EDADAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Financial Aid Administration & Packaging (EDALAJAA), International Student Funding & Mobility Grants Administration (EDADAHAL), Scholarships, Grants & Education Benefits Administration (Financing-adjacent) (FSAKAEAM)

Keywords

• Student grant funding
• Higher education grants
• Grant administration services
• Education financial aid
• Eligibility assessment services

Headquarters

HQ city

Dublin

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Grant Disbursement: SUSI is a government-funded body that receives funding from the Irish government to disburse student grants. The organization does not generate commercial revenue but rather distributes public funds to eligible students. Revenue is derived from government budgetary allocations rather than customer payments.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

SUSI administers student grant funding for eligible students pursuing approved further and higher education courses in Ireland. It assesses applicant eligibility, processes applications and supporting documentation, issues grant decisions, processes renewals, and disburses maintenance and tuition grants to PLC, undergraduate, and postgraduate students (and in some cases to students studying outside Ireland). Applicants interact with SUSI through an online Eligibility Indicator, the grantsonline.ie application portal, and a Student Portal for tracking and managing their grant.

Product overview

Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) operates as Ireland's national awarding authority for further and higher education grants. The organization provides a unified student grant administration system consisting of the core grant processing platform, an Eligibility Indicator tool for prospective applicants to assess their eligibility before applying, a Student Portal for tracking applications and managing grant details, and a Part-Time Funding program. SUSI processes applications for eligible students at PLC, undergraduate, and postgraduate levels, and in some cases for students studying outside Ireland.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Student Grant Administration System

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Government of IrelandcoreOthersSUSI operates as Ireland's national awarding authority under the direction of the Irish government. The organization is referenced as a government body on its website through official branding and links to gov.ie.
• City of Dublin Education and Training Board (CDETB)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCDETB is listed as a partner organization on the SUSI website, indicating a collaborative relationship in supporting further education students in Dublin. The partnership relates to educational administration and student support coordination.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Emerging players

• Scholarship America: U.S.-based nonprofit that manages scholarship programs and matching platforms on behalf of donors and institutions. Comparable as a scholarship administration and matching platform, though operating in a private/nonprofit context versus SUSI's statutory role.

Broad incumbents

• Department of Further and Higher Education (Ireland): Irish government department that oversees higher and further education policy and funds SUSI. Overlapping governance role as the parent/oversight body for student grant administration.
• Centrelink (Services Australia): Australian government agency administering student payments (Youth Allowance, Austudy, ABSTUDY) as part of broader social security delivery. Comparable in administering student financial support via statutory authority and digital channels.
• Federal Student Aid (FSA): U.S. Department of Education office that administers federal student grants and loans, including Pell Grants and FAFSA. Broader incumbent comparable to SUSI in administering national student financial aid under government authority.

Direct peers

• Student Finance England: UK government service that provides financial support to students in higher education, including grants and loans. Closely comparable to SUSI in mandate, target population (further/higher education students), and self-service digital application model.
• Kela (Social Insurance Institution of Finland): Finnish government agency that administers student benefits (study grants, housing allowances) for higher education students. Direct peer operating a national student financial aid scheme under government authority.
• Student Loans Company: The UK government's non-departmental public body that administers student finance for higher education in the UK. Direct peer to SUSI as a national awarding authority for student grants/loans, operating under statutory mandate with similar digital application portals.
• SAIT (Student Aid Alberta / Student Aid BC equivalents): Canadian provincial student aid administrators (e.g., StudentAid BC) that assess eligibility and disburse government student grants and loans. Comparable as provincial/national student finance authorities with online application systems.
• Studielink: Dutch national online portal that mediates student finance applications (studiefinanciering) for higher education students in the Netherlands. Direct peer in operating a self-service national student finance application and tracking platform.

Regional players

• Education and Training Boards Ireland (ETBs): Irish statutory bodies delivering education and training services, including further education support, across regions. Complementary to SUSI within Ireland's education system, with overlapping student population served.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/susi

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Student Universal Support Ireland [SUSI]