Written answers

Tuesday, 4 November 2014

Department of Education and Skills

Third Level Fees

Photo of Michael McNamaraMichael McNamara (Clare, Labour)
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845. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of Irish citizen applicants who would be affected by amending the residency clause of the free fees initiative. [41935/14]

Photo of Jan O'SullivanJan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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As the Deputy is aware the Exchequer funds tuition fees costs in respect of eligible students who are pursuing full-time undergraduate courses of study under my Department's Free Fees Initiative. The main conditions of the scheme are that students must be first-time undergraduates, hold inter alia EU/EEA/Swiss nationality in their own right, and have been ordinarily resident in an EU/EEA/Swiss state for at least three of the five years preceding their entry to an approved third level course.

Where full-time undergraduate students do not qualify for free fees they must pay the appropriate fee as determined by their third level institution.

In the case of students who do not meet the residency clause, higher education institutions have been requested to charge the more moderate EU fee to EU/EEA/Swiss nationals who have completed at least five academic years of study (Primary or Post-Primary level) in the EU/EEA or Switzerland. My Department has requested that the Higher Education Authority review this policy and at such time details of students who benefit under this proposal will be available.

I have no plans to amend the residency clause of the Free Fees Initiative at present.

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