Eligible students in Sligo are being encouraged to apply for SUSI grants.

The portal for applications opened yesterday and there's now increased eligibility with more families set to qualify for the supports.

The special rate of grant has also increased from €26,200 to €27,400, in line with rises in social welfare rates.

Sligo Drumcliffe Fine Gael Cllr Thomas Walsh says while a lot of work has been done, more can always be done to improve access to education: