Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Higgins for raising this matter. Graduate entry medicine is open to students who have already completed an honours undergraduate degree in any academic discipline and achieved a minimum 2.1 award in this degree. Students pursuing graduate entry medicine programmes do so as a second degree course and, consequently, are not eligible for free fees, funding or student grants.

It is important to state that this is also the case for all other degree courses. The State currently has no role in providing fee or grant assistance to a student who pursues a second degree. The fees payable by these students are determined by the institution and, as such, it is not open to me to intervene in the tuition fee policy of institutions.

However, our Department has been working to address the number of undergraduate medicine places. On 12 July 2022, the Ministers, Deputies Harris and Donnelly, announced an agreement with the Irish medical schools to increase the number of places available for EU students by 200 over the next five years. The agreement reached with the medical schools began with an additional 60 EU students in September 2022, climbing to 120 in September of last year and up to 200 by the year 2026. The agreement included additional graduate entry medicine places. To date, an additional ten graduate entry places – five in 2022 and another five in 2023 – have been created, with further additional places planned up to 2026.

This marked a significant expansion in the number of places available to students applying through the CAO system. It increases the opportunities for students to progress to study medicine in Ireland and to help us build up our talent pipeline.

We have been making improvements though. The State currently provides a subsidy to HEIs towards the cost of provision for graduate entry medicine places, and that is gradually increasing. The subsidy has already increased from a rate of €11,950 in the 2021-22 academic year to €12,100 per student in the 2022-23 academic year, and will progressively increase over the coming years to the new rate of €14,500. The State contribution towards graduate entry places will be increased in phases so that by 2026, all graduate entry places will be funded by the State at €14,500, with additional fees as determined by the university payable by the student. The adjusted subsidy rate is an important component of reaching agreement with the medical schools to increase medicine places for EU students.

In addition, our Department provides bursaries to students who have been identified by their higher education institution as being the most socioeconomically disadvantaged students under the national access plan. Students who avail of certain bursaries will now be allowed to retain them if they choose to enter the graduate entry medicine programmes. This is a welcome development that will also help diversify the profession.

Students on graduate entry medicine programmes will also be eligible to apply to the student assistance fund for financial support. This is an area we need policy clarity on. We have engaged with the Department of Health on it and continue to do so. We must ensure that whatever decision applied is fair and proportionate.