John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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171. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the fees that a person (details supplied) will be expected to pay; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26752/21]

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. The assessment of a students application and the determination of the appropriate fee rate is a function of the institution attended. It is therefore necessary for students to contact the institution they are interested in attending for guidance on the fees applicable to a course of study.

Under the Department's Free Fees Initiative, the Exchequer pays tuition fees on behalf of eligible students attending approved full-time undergraduate courses. 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 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.

Where students do not qualify for free fees funding, they 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 in accordance with their own criteria.

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. 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.

The main financial support available to students is the statutory based Student Grant Scheme.

Under the terms of the student grant scheme, grant assistance is awarded to students who meet the prescribed conditions of funding, including those relating to nationality, residency, previous academic attainment and means. With regard to the residency criterion, in order to be eligible for a grant, a "student", as defined in Section 14 of the Student Support Act 2011, must demonstrate that he/she has been resident in the State for at least three years out of the five year period ending on the day before the start of his/her approved course of study. The three out of five year rule takes cognisance of students who wish to take time out to travel or work abroad. It is possible for students, who did not meet the residency requirement at the commencement of their studies, to have their eligibility reviewed if they meet the residency requirement during the course of their studies.

Information in relation to student grant assistance is available from SUSI’s website, www.susi.ie. Students may contact SUSI’s Helpdesk with any queries in relation to their grant application or the appeals process by telephone 0761 087 874 or email support@susi.ie.