Funding Your Studies

There is a range of bursary and scholarships schemes in operation which may provide you an opportunity to access additional financial support on your journey to Becoming a Solicitor with the Law Society of Ireland, provided you meet the criteria.

The Student University Support Ireland (SUSI) Grant scheme is the main financial support scheme for students in Ireland. Student grants are divided into maintenance grants and fee grants.

The full-time Professional Practice Course (PPC) is an approved course for SUSI grant purposes. You do not have to wait for confirmation of your place on the PPC before applying for a grant. Please check the SUSI website for application details including closing date.

Please note: The part-time (Hybrid) Professional Practice Course (PPC) is not an approved course for SUSI grant purposes.

If you hold a master’s degree at level 9 you are ineligible for SUSI funding for the PPC unless that master’s degree is in law. 

The Law Society Access Scholarship aims to assist students from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds to gain access to professional legal education.  Depending on your individual circumstances, the Scholarship can assist with:

  • Reduced/waived Final Examination – Part 1 (FE-1) fees (up to a maximum of four full sittings, up to 8 FE-1 papers per sitting)
  • Access to core texts related to FE-1 examinations
  • Reduced/waived Professional Practice Course (PPC) fees
  • Maintenance funding

For further details including application process and deadlines review the Law Society Access Scholarship Terms & Conditions.

The Small Practice Traineeship Grant scheme was created to support regional firms and enable access to justice in all communities.  The grant consists of funding of €18,000 to the training firm over the course of the two-year training contract and funding of €7,000 to the trainee solicitor by way of a discount on the Professional Practice Course (PPC) fee. 

A limited number of grants are available annually.

Certain eligibility criteria, terms and conditions, and deadlines apply. For further information please see Small Practice Traineeship Grant.

The Dublin Solicitors Bar Association (DSBA) operates a means-assessed bursary available to those who wish to qualify and practice as solicitors in the Dublin area. The bursary aims to assist with the FE-1 fees, Law School fees and living expenses. The size of the award may vary depending on individual circumstances. For further details including deadlines and the application process visit the DBSA website. 

The Law Society operates a limited bursary scheme for the Professional Practice Course (PPC) (full-time or Hybrid).  Any student who considers that their own resources or available family resources are inadequate to fund their study may apply for a bursary. 

The Law Society Bursary is a maintenance only grant and cannot be used for PPC fees.

The Law Society Bursary is open to trainees who are fully registered on the PPC i.e. you have been offered and accepted a place on the PPC, and your PPC fees have been discharged in full. 

Applications open for trainees on the PPC shortly after the course has commenced.

The fees for the Professional Practice Course (PPC) are eligible for tax relief. Please note that tax relief is only available for PPC fees, it is not available on the PPC application fee or examination fees.

For further details and Revenue Form IT31 please see the Revenue website.

Your training solicitor/firm is under no obligation to pay your course fees. However, the payment of fees can constitute a deductible expense for tax purposes. Any training solicitor or firm wishing to know more about this should contact their local tax office. The Revenue Commissioners provide further information related to the discharging of course fees for work related courses.