Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

510. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 814 of 9 September 2021, the average cost for each undergraduate medical student on the Exchequer rather than the higher education institution; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54582/21]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

As the deputy is aware, Government investment in Higher Education is not specifically allocated against a per student or average cost metric and state investment in the sector is not limited to the recurrent grant funding of institutions.

In this regard, Government provides financial support to the higher education sector through direct recurrent grants, and indirectly through a number of specific parameters including free fees, policy initiatives, Springboard+, Human Capital Initiative, SUSI fee supports.

In the case of students doing medicine:

- The HEA has a Recurrent Grant Allocation Model (RGAM) which allocates core recurrent funding to institutions. The grant is allocated as a block recurrent grant and the internal allocation of this grant is a matter for each institution. Student numbers are included and counted for funding purposes in the RGAM and in 2021 attracted c.€3,600 per student through the RGAM.

- Medical students (arising from the increased EU student intake on foot of the Fottrell Report), are covered by additional ring-fenced funding for undergraduate and graduate-entry medicine outside of RGAM. Undergraduate “Fottrell” students are paid at a rate of €9,177 per undergraduate student.

- Eligible undergraduate medical students have their fees paid by the Exchequer under the Free Fees Scheme. The HEA pays c. €5,900 per student in respect of eligible medical students under the Free Fees Scheme. Students are liable for the Student Contribution of €3,000. Eligible students may have the student contribution fully or partially paid on their behalf under SUSI.

- In addition, the HEA currently pays a grant per student (2020/21) of €11,524 for Graduate Entry Medical Students.