Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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451. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if a student (details supplied) who attended college in the academic year 2016/2017 and who is now going to attend a different college in academic year 2022/2023 will be approved tuition fees for the four-year duration of this new course; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45859/22]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Under my Department’s Free Fees Initiative (FFI), the Exchequer provides funding toward the tuition fee costs of eligible undergraduate higher education students exclusive of the student contribution (€3,000 per academic year). In order to qualify for funding under the FFI, students must meet the criteria of the scheme including the progression criteria.

The free fees criteria sets out that, with limited exceptions (such as ill health), tuition fees will not be paid in respect of students undertaking a repeat year of study at the same year level. In this regard students who have previously pursued a course of third level study which has attracted exchequer funding (e.g. fees, maintenance, tax relief, subsidy towards course cost) and have not secured a qualification and subsequently resume third level studies within 5 years are not eligible for free fees for the equivalent period of time spent on the first course.

However, once an equivalent period of study has been completed on the new course, the student may become eligible for free fees funding for the remainder of the course where they meet all other criteria of the free fees scheme.

Subject to compliance with the other conditions of the Free Fees initiative, tuition fees may be paid in respect of eligible students who, having attended but not completed approved courses, are returning following a break of at least five years in order to pursue approved courses at the same level. Based on the details provided a student that attended for one year in 2016/2017 and was eligible for free fees at that time may be eligible for free fees in 2022/23 due to a break of 5 academic years.

Further information on the criteria of the FFI is available on the studentfinance.ie website at the following location: hea.ie/funding-governance-performance/funding/student-finance/course-fees/.

The assessment of eligibility under the Free Fees Initiative (FFI) in individual cases is a matter for each higher education institution to determine within the terms of the scheme, exceptions to the criteria cannot be made in individual cases by the Department.

Where a student requires guidance on how the FFI criteria may apply to their individual circumstances and their application to an institution I recommend students makes direct contact with the fees office of the relevant institution.