Denis Naughten (Longford-Roscommon, Fine Gael)
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Question 639: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the average cost per annum of an IT and university college place respectively; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24102/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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: Due to the varied costs associated with undergraduate courses in the university sector, the Department does not have an overall unit cost per student. However, the estimated average recurrent cost to the State for the more common undergraduate courses of arts, business, science and engineering is €7,000 per student per year. As there are higher costs associated with some courses, the unit costs to the State would be higher, for example the estimated unit cost per student to the State in respect of medicine in the university sector is €8,500 per annum.

A unit cost system of allocating funds to the institutes of technology has not yet been developed. The annual budget for each institute of technology is allocated on the basis of its total pay and non-pay requirements following consideration of its annual programmes and budget submission which is required under the RTC-DIT Acts. The allocation takes into account the complexity of the institute, the range of courses and facilities offered to students, the total number of students — both full-time and part-time — and the nature of the infrastructure. Decisions on the allocations also have regard to Government policy and priorities.