Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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145. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the contribution currently made by the Higher Education Authority towards graduate entry medicine per student; the cost of increasing the HEA contribution towards graduate entry medicine tuition fees by €5,000 and €10,000 per student, respectively based on the latest available student numbers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23412/21]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The fee payable by a student can vary depending on a variety factors including the type of course and the student's access route including previous education. Entry to medicine in Irish HEIs is provided through both undergraduate and graduate entry routes.

Under the Department's Free Fees Initiative, the Exchequer pays tuition fees on behalf of eligible first time undergraduate students attending approved full-time undergraduate courses (including medicine courses). In order to qualify for funding under the Department’s Free Fees Initiative, students must meet the criteria of the scheme including previous education attainment.

Graduate Entry Medicine (GEM) is one of the pathways to study undergraduate medicine. One of the recommendations of the Fottrell report (2006) was the introduction of a new graduate entry medicine programme (GEM). Students pursuing GEM programmes do so as second degree courses and consequently are not eligible for free fees funding or for student grants.

However, in order to widen access to GEM programmes, and give assistance towards the financial burden on each student pursuing these programmes, the fees of participating EU students are partly subsidised by the State via the HEA. In academic year 20/21 the state contribution is €11,524 per student with the balance of fees payable by the student.

The HEA is currently collecting details of student numbers for GEM for the academic year 2020/21 – and therefore the final numbers for GEM students for 2020/21 are not readily available.

Based on the 2019/20 GEM student numbers:

- The estimated cost of increasing the HEA contribution towards GEM (grant per student) by €5,000 per student is an additional c.€4.7m

- The estimated cost of increasing the HEA contribution towards GEM (grant per student) by €10,000 per student is an additional c.€9.5m

Higher Education Institutions are autonomous bodies and are responsible for their own day-to-day management and operational affairs, including the management of academic affairs. They retain the right to determine their own policies and procedures. The total level of fees to be charged in the case of GEM fees are therefore solely a matter for the relevant institution to determine in line with its own criteria.