Written answers

Wednesday, 28 April 2021

Department of Education and Skills

Third Level Fees

Photo of Imelda MunsterImelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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754. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of students who are Irish citizens that are denied the free fees initiative under the residency criteria, that is, having not been resident in three out of the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21612/21]

Photo of Simon HarrisSimon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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In order to qualify for funding under the department's Free Fees Initiative  students must meet the criteria of the scheme including the separate residency and nationality/citizenship requirements in their own right.

In order to meet the residency criteria a student must have been ordinarily resident in an EU/EEA/Swiss/UK state for at least three of the five years preceding their entry to an approved third level course. All students are required to meet the residency criteria of the scheme.

The assessment of eligibility under the Free Fees Initiative in individual cases is a matter for each institution to determine within the terms of the scheme and my department does not collate details on the number of students that were deemed ineligible under the terms of the scheme. There are currently no plans within my department to amend the residency criteria of the Free Fees Initiative.

Where students do not qualify for free fees funding they must pay the appropriate fee - either EU or Non-EU, as determined by each higher education institution.  These institutions are autonomous bodies and the level of fee payable by students who do not meet the requirements of the free fees scheme is a matter for the relevant institution to determine. 

My Department responded previously to concerns about the impact of the Free Fees Initiative eligibility criteria on Irish nationals who had, for occupational or economic reasons, to move abroad, requiring them to take their children out of the Irish education system in the process.

To this end, the department advised that, with effect from the academic year 2014/15 onwards, higher education institutions should charge the more moderate rate of EU fee for students that commence their first undergraduate course of study in an approved institution here and:

- Hold EU/EEA/Swiss/UK nationality but do not meet the residency clause of the Free Fees Initiative; and 

- have completed five academic years of study (at either primary or post-primary level) in an EU/EEA/Swiss/UK State.

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