Maynooth University Access Programme (MAP)

What is the Student Assistance Fund (SAF) and who can apply?

GENERAL SAF  - Eligibility Criteria & Application form - opens in mid-October for a limited time;online application. 

HEAR/ACCESS SAF fund  - opens in mid-October for a limited time; application by invite to eligible students.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about the SAF

SAF Confidentiality & Data Protection

What is the Student Assistance Fund and who can apply?

• support students from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds who are under-represented in higher education and who have temporary or ongoing needs for financial support.
• provide emergency financial assistance for other students experiencing exceptional financial difficulties.

Students can be awarded funds from the SAF to cover various college-related costs such as:

• books and class materials,
• rent, heating, lighting, and other utility bills (including mobile phone data plans that you may require to participate and continue in university),
• food,
• essential travel,
• childcare,
• medical costs,
• family difficulties e.g., bereavement.

This list of costs is not exhaustive. However, tuition fees, registration fees, student loan repayments or any costs borne by your college are not covered by the Student Assistance Fund.

 

Eligibility criteria for General SAF 

To apply to the General SAF, you must fulfil both A & B below:
A. Basic Eligibility, and 
B. Household income under €73,727 in 2022

A. Basic Eligibility for SAF

You must be 

1. A full-time OR part-time undergraduate or postgraduate student at Maynooth University or St. Patrick's Pontifical University Maynooth.
2. Registered for a course of not less than one year’s duration that leads to a higher education award at Level 6 to 10 of the national framework of qualifications.
3. A student who is Irish, EU, EEA, Swiss or UK and who is eligible for free or reduced fees in line with the criteria for the Free Fees Initiative,
4. Resident in Ireland or the EU for 3 of the last 5 years.

Provided you belong to all the above specified categories, this includes:

• Repeating students.
• Students studying for a Professional Master of Education (Primary) or a Professional Master of Education (Secondary).
• Students on a Springboard+ course, or on a blended/distance learning course of not less than one year’s duration, that leads to a higher education award at Level 6 to 10 of the national framework of qualifications. This year the Springboard+ courses at Maynooth University are the H. Dip. In Science (Software Development) and the H. Dip in Data Analytics.
• PhD students (PhD students in years 1-4 are eligible; PhD students in year 5 or higher will be considered on a case-by-case basis).
• Students who entered Maynooth University through the HEAR entry route.
• Students with a previous higher education qualification at the same NFQ level, or who, in the past, attended higher education without ultimately obtaining a qualification, will be considered on a case-by-case basis and subject to available funding, subject to meeting the above eligibility criteria.
• ELIGIBILITY TO BE CONFIRMED - Students who qualified for protection under Section 60 of the International Protection Act 2015 (including Ukrainian students who are currently registered as Higher Education Students, on approved courses or authorised transition arrangements in approved publicly funded institutions in Ireland). 

You cannot apply to the SAF if you are:

• An incoming Erasmus student. Students attending Maynooth University on the Erasmus programme are advised to contact their home university for financial support
• ​An international student. International students cannot apply to the SAF but, in exceptional circumstances only, emergency funding may be available from the Maynooth University International Office. Incoming international students are advised to contact the International Office and/or the Student Support Officer.
• A student who is resident in Ireland on Stamp 2/2A/4D. Students on these residency stamps cannot avail of public funding support. Students are advised to contact the International Office, if relevant, and/or the Student Support Officer.
• A student of Divinity at St. Patrick’s Pontifical University, Maynooth. You should contact [email protected]
• A student studying for the Certificate in Return to Learning Course Level 5 at Maynooth University or any other course under Level 6. You are advised to contact the Student Budgeting Advisor to book an appointment /attend a drop-in clinic to discuss possible alternative support.
• A student whose family income in 2023 is above the income limits set out for SAF. You are advised to contact the Student Budgeting Advisor to book an appointment /attend a drop-in clinic to discuss possible alternative support. Please note that where a change of circumstances has occurred in the houshold income resulting in a reduction of income since 2023 which brings you under the SAF  income threshold of €73,727, you may apply to the SAF and indicate the change of circumstances on the application form.
• A student who is repeating a year/module externally. Most repeat students are repeating internally however and are eligible to apply to the SAF.Students who are not eligible to apply to the SAF are advised to make an appointment or attend one of the weekly drop-in clinics at the Student Budgeting Advice Service to discuss other possible supports.

B. Income under €73,727 in 2023

To apply to the General SAF, the household income must be under €73,727 in 2023.  Students will be assessed on the household reckonable income which can be found on page 3 of the SUSI award letter for 2024 OR on their parents/guardians official Revenue income document for 2023. Students will only be assessed on their own income if the are 'living indpendently'. Renting during term time is not considered 'living independently. For the full definition of 'living independently', see the SAF FAQ Independent Living. 
Note: exceptional circumstances in relation to income will be considered on a case-by-case basis and can be brought to the attention of the SAF team [email protected] when you provide your documents or to the attention of the SBA if you are required to have an individual SBA meeting.

How your General SAF application progresses depends upon household income and previous application status:

1. Means Tested Assessment - Students with a family income under €50,840 in 2023 AND who are applying to the General SAF for the first time in the 2024/25 academic year, will be prioritised for funding and will be assessed on a Means Tested basis only i.e. they will only be required to provide proof of income for 2023 to progress their application to documents upload stage. A meeting with the Student Budgeting Advisor will not be required. Step-by-step instructions regarding what documents to provide and how to upload them, will be provided. 
2. Exceptional Assessment - The following will be assessed on an Exceptional basis i.e. a meeting with the Student Budgeting Advisor (SBA) or attendance at a budgeting information session may be required before your application can progress to the documents upload stage:  ​​
   • ​​Students with a household income above €50,840 but under the maximum SAF income limit of €73,727 
   • Students who are re-applying for SAF in the same academic year 
   • Students who have a previous qualification at the same level as the course they are currently undertaking 
   • Ph.D students in year 5 or above
3. SBA Meeting/Budgeting Information Session stage – This stage is only relevant if your application is assessed on an Exceptional basis. You will be given step-by-step instructions on what to do and your application will only progress to the next stage (documents upload stage) when the meeting/ information session stage has been completed. 
4.  Supporting documents upload stage – supporting documents will be required in all cases. You will be provided with step-by-step instructions, a Documents Checklist  (link coming soon), a secure upload link. You should upload your supporting documents ASAP when prompted. Do not email documents. If you are in receipt of SUSI you will be required to upload a copy of your SUSI award letter which you can find under the Communications tab of your online SUSI account; save a copy onto your laptop/device, as it will be removed from your online SUSI account in Semester 2. Ensure the award letter is not password protected before uploading it for your SAF application. If you are not in receipt of SUSI, you will be required to provide other household income documents and are advised to gather them ASAP in preparation for applying to SAF, as it can take some weeks to receive income documents from Revenue/Welfare. Use the Documents Checklist – link coming soon. If your application is assessed on an Exceptional basis, you will also be required to provide 3 months bank statements for your own bank accounts in addition to the SUSI letter/household income documents.
5. Outcome/Award stage: How quickly your application progresses to completion depends upon how quickly you complete the required steps and the volume of applications being processed. You should expect to wait up to 3-4 weeks for an outcome due to the volume of applications to the SAF. Applications not completed by the applicant within the given deadline will be closed. If approved for funding, the award amount depends on whether your application was assessed on a Means Tested basis or on an Exceptional basis. For Means Tested applications, the award is a set rate which is dependent upon available funding each year; in 2023 the set award was €600.  For Exceptional applications, the award may be a set rate or may be individualised based on the applicant’s circumstances. You will be notified of the outcome and the amount of the award.The granting of an award/the amount of an award are always subject to available funding and there is no guarantee of award.  

Important:

• There is no guarantee of award. Awards are subject to available funds, to eligibility and to correct completion of applications within the deadlines provided.
• When funds are fully disbursed, no more awards can be made regardless of eligibility or application status.
• Applications will generally be processed on a first-completed, first-served basis. 
• Applications must be completed within the given deadline.   

 

Eligibility Criteria for HEAR/ACCESS SAF 

Only certain students supported by the Maynooth Access Programme (MAP) are eligible for financial support from the HEAR/ACCESS SAF. Students who are eligible for this fund will be contacted directly by MAP from [email protected] in late October, with instructions on how to get their HEAR/ACCESS funding. Note that all HEAR entry students may also apply to the General SAF, including students eligible for the HEAR/ACCESS SAF. Find more detail on the HEAR/ACCESS SAF application process in the FAQs.
 
Students who are eligible for financial assistance from the HEAR/ACCESS SAF are:

1. HEAR entry students in 1st year of an undergraduate course who have attended MAPMyWay orientation for access students will be awarded €1,000, paid as €500 in Semester 1 and €500 in Semester 2.
2. Turn to Teaching Certificate programme students who have attended MAPMyWay orientation for access students AND who have a household income under €46,790 will be awarded €1,000, paid as €500 in Semester 1 and €500 in Semester 2.
3. Turn to Teaching progressed students – students who entered the Turn to Teaching programme and who are progressing to 1st year of an undergraduate course or a Professional Masters in Education course in 2024/25 who have attended MAPMyWay orientation for access students AND who have a household income under €46,790 will be awarded €1,000, paid as €500 in Semester 1 and €500 in Semester 2.

• Repeating 1st year HEAR or TTT students in the above categories are not eligible for payment from the HEAR/Access SAF unless they have exceptional or extenuating circumstances for repeating or have exceptional costs while repeating. A MAP Advisor will contact repeating 1st year HEAR/TTT students in late October to discuss this and to determine eligibility and, if approved, will be funded for €500 only which will be paid in Semester 1. 
• Note: HEAR/TTT students who are no longer eligible for financial support from the HEAR/Access SAF may apply to the General SAF. HEAR/TTT students who ARE eligible may also apply to the General SAF.

Review the SAF FAQ's to find more information about your eligibility, making an application, the outcome and appeals.
 

 

 SAF Data Confidentiality & Data Protection 

Data Confidentiality 

The Student Assistance Fund at Maynooth University operates within an ethos of respect, courtesy and confidentiality. Where a consultation with the Student Budgeting Advisor is required, consultations are held in an environment of respect, confidence and only where it is necessary to gather essential information. All data provided or accessed will be treated in a sensitive and confidential manner and will be stored, secured and remain strictly private and confidential in line with GDPR and Maynooth University Data Protection requirements.

Students will be provided with a link to a Documents Checklist [link coming soon] and a secure link to upload supporting documents. Where students provide supporting documentation belonging to a third party (parent/guardian/partner/spouse) they will be asked to confirm on the application form and on the Documents Upload that they have obtained permission/consent from the third party. Supporting documents will be used only for the purposes of processing the application and will be stored in line with retention periods as required by the funding body, the Higher Education Authority (7 years), and as set out under the Maynooth University Data Protection policy.

 
Data Protection 
All data provided or accessed will be stored, secured and retained in line with GDPR and Maynooth University Data Protection requirements and in line with retention periods required by the funding body, the Higher Education Authority (7 years).
More information on how your data is used is contained in the Student Assistance Fund Application Form Terms and Conditions. This information appears at the end of the SAF application form and applicants are asked to agree before submitting their application:
Please note that you may withdraw your consent to your application data being processed by the Student Assistance Fund by emailing [email protected]. If you withdraw your consent, your application will be cancelled.
The Maynooth University Data Protection Office may be contacted with any data protection concerns: [email protected] 01-7086184.

For more information on the SAF, you can view the SAF Guidelines Flyer and the Higher Education Authority's SAF page on studentfinance.ie.

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