Almost three-quarters of third-level students due to receive a grant this year have been awarded their funding, according to the student grant awarding body Susi (Student Universal Support Ireland).

The organisation said it had awarded student grant funding to 54,000 students to date, a “significant improvement” on the 43,000 awarded at the same date last year.

It said 43,000 students had been paid throughout the month of October, which was the earliest that payments can be made by Susi.

“The remaining students who have already been awarded grants and are still to be paid will receive their grants as soon as their colleges confirm that they are registered and attending and when the students provide their bank details.”

Susi, which was set up three years ago to streamline a payments system previously managed by local authorities, said it had received more than 100,000 applications for 2014-2015 and expected to award approximately 73,000 grants for this academic year. Some 40,000 of these awarded grants will be to new applicants – the remainder will be renewals.

Susi's head of communications Graham Doyle said it was awaiting documentation from 10,000 students to complete their applications.

He urged them to do so as soon as possible and also reminded students who had yet to submit their bank details to do so to ensure that they can be paid.

The closing date for receipt of applications for the 2014-2015 academic year is next Thursday, November 6th.

Mr Doyle noted: “There are also some students who have begun the online application process but have yet to complete it and similarly they need to complete their applications before the closing date.”