Irish SUSI Grant Abroad: Funding an Erasmus or Full Degree in Europe
By Muntasir • Published Apr 04, 2026 • Updated Sep 20, 2026 • Education Planning, Study in Europe, Erasmus & Exchange, Scholarships & Funding
Your SUSI maintenance grant continues if you go on an Erasmus+ exchange or study an approved course elsewhere in Europe, and you can add a separate Erasmus+ mobility grant on top without losing SUSI support.
💶 SUSI keeps paying your maintenance grant during an approved compulsory study period abroad, including Erasmus+
🏠 If your grant assumed you lived at home, it may switch to the higher away-from-home rate while you are abroad
🎓 A full degree abroad only qualifies if the course and institution appear on SUSI's approved list
📩 The Erasmus+ mobility grant is a separate EU payment, its amount depends on your destination country
Keeping your SUSI grant on Erasmus
If you already hold a SUSI maintenance grant and your course includes a compulsory period of study abroad, you continue to receive your maintenance payments while away, according to the University of Galway's Erasmus+ handbook . This covers students on Erasmus+ exchanges and other approved mobility built into their Irish degree.
Your grant rate can also change while you are abroad. If SUSI previously paid you the living-at-home rate because you lived with your family during term time in Ireland, you may move to the higher away-from-home rate for the period you are based abroad, since SUSI assesses your living situation for the mobility period separately.
New applicants planning mobility
If you have not applied to SUSI before and know you want to study abroad, apply through the normal SUSI application for the year you start your course, and mention your planned mobility period if your course includes one. SUSI assesses your eligibility and rate first, the Erasmus+ or approved-course elements get added once your place abroad is confirmed by your Irish college.
Undergraduate maintenance rates while abroad
For undergraduate courses outside Ireland, SUSI pays maintenance at 1 of 2 distance-based rates, an adjacent rate if your term-time address abroad sits under 30km from your permanent home, and a non-adjacent rate if it is 30km or more, the same distinction used for courses inside Ireland. Most study abroad placements qualify for the non-adjacent rate, since they involve moving to another country.
Doing a full degree elsewhere in Europe
SUSI funds more than exchange semesters. It also supports full-time undergraduate and postgraduate students on approved courses outside Ireland, including in the UK and the EU, but only if the specific course and institution appear on SUSI's approved courses and institutions list . Check this list before you commit to anywhere, an unapproved course does not qualify for a grant even if it meets SUSI's other conditions.
What SUSI checks before approving a course
SUSI looks at whether your course leads to a recognised qualification, whether the institution is accredited in its home country, and whether the course length and structure match what SUSI funds for that level of study. This is why individual courses need approval rather than entire universities, 2 master's programmes at the same institution can have different approval status.
Income thresholds for 2026/27
SUSI assesses your household's reckonable income from the previous calendar year, so a 2026/27 application uses income earned in 2025. For a household with fewer than 4 dependent children, the 2026/27 thresholds are:
| Grant tier | Income threshold (under) |
|---|---|
| Special Rate | €28,600 |
| Band 1, full maintenance | €47,010 |
| Band 4, part maintenance | €58,470 |
These thresholds rise by roughly €4,785 to €4,950 for each additional dependent child in full-time education, so a larger family qualifies at a higher income level.
Postgraduate study in Northern Ireland
If you take an approved postgraduate course in Northern Ireland, SUSI can pay a maintenance grant alongside fee support of up to €6,270, subject to the same income assessment used for courses elsewhere outside the state.
Adding Erasmus+ funding
The Erasmus+ mobility grant is a separate EU-funded payment, on top of any SUSI grant you already receive. The amount varies by destination country, following European Commission cost-of-living groupings, and your college's international office manages the Erasmus+ application and payment separately from SUSI. Keep both applications moving at the same time rather than waiting for one decision before starting the other, SUSI and your college's Erasmus+ office work on different timelines.
How to apply
Apply to SUSI as normal for the academic year, declaring your planned study abroad period if you already know it
Confirm your course and host institution appear on the approved list before committing to a full degree abroad
Register your Erasmus+ mobility with your Irish college's international office separately from your SUSI application
Tell SUSI if your living situation changes while abroad, so they apply the correct maintenance rate
Processing takes time, especially if your course needs to be added to the approved list for the first time, so start this process as early as possible in the year before you plan to go abroad.