Readers like you keep news free for everyone.
More than 5,000 readers have already pitched in to keep free access to The Journal.
For the price of one cup of coffee each week you can help keep paywalls away.
# Student Grants
SUSI 'working closely' with the Ombudsman on student grant complaints
A total of 55 cases of complaints against the grant system were accepted by the Ombudsman with 34 of them still open.
SOME 55 CASES of complaints against national student grant system SUSI, have been accepted by the Ombudsman with 34 of those still open.
More than 20 of these complaints have been resolved and SUSI said that it is “working closely with the office of the Ombudsman to resolve the remainder”.
The office of the Ombudsman said today that in about half of the closed cases, “a favourable outcome was obtained for the complainant following this office’s involvement”.
A further 90 complaints were not accepted for consideration by the Ombudsman as the appeals process had not been exhausted.
Almost all of the complaints relate to 2012/2013 rather than the current round of applications, a spokesperson said.
Some 70,000 grant applications were processed by SUSI in 2012/2013 and it said that all of those have been processed and a decision has been given on them. However a number of appeals from last year are ongoing and SUSI said they are “receiving priority attention”.
SUSI is due to publish a progress report later this week with details on this year’s round of applications.
Read: SUSI: More staff, less bureaucracy, prioritised payments>
Read: 59,000 new grant applications received by SUSI ahead of deadline>
