Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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570. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the cost to the Exchequer if graduate entry medical students were exempt from the progression criteria in SUSI grant application and could access funding as if it was their first undergraduate course; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34621/20]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy is aware to avail of the graduate entry route for medicine, a primary degree in another discipline is necessary. Accordingly such students are ineligible for grant assistance on the basis that they already hold an undergraduate degree.

SUSI holds data on students who have applied for grant support so therefore it is not possible to identify the total number of graduate entry students for the 2020/21 academic year. However, the HEA have advised that in 2018/19, there were 1,580 graduate entry medical students. Therefore, the total cost to the exchequer of funding this cohort of students would be in the region of €7.7m. These costings are based on an average maintenance grant cost.