Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin Bay North, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

222. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will consider allowing the leaving certificate candidates of 2020 and 2021 who change courses to avail of free fees, given the disruption from Covid-19 is a factor in the difficulties in staying in a course. [47689/22]

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

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. The assessment of eligibility under the 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.

A key principle of the scheme is to support students in progressing through a chosen course of study from year to year. The objective of the progression policy is to help as many students as possible to obtain one qualification at each level of study. To satisfy the terms and conditions of the FFI in relation to progression, a student must be moving from year to year within a course having successfully completed the previous year or, having successfully completed a course, is progressing to another related course where the award for the subsequent course is of a higher level than the previous course (for example added years to attain a level 8 having completed a level 7 course).

A free fees eligible students that completed year one or year two of a free fees eligible course in 20/21 or 21/22, and departs the course of study without securing a qualification, is not normally eligible for free fees funding in year one of a new free fees course at the same qualification level in 22/23. 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.

Full details of the scheme including the repeat period of study criteria are available at the following location: hea.ie/funding-governance-performance/funding/student-finance/course-fees/

Where undergraduate students do not meet the qualifying criteria of the FFI they are required to pay tuition fees in full to their higher education institution. It is a matter for the higher education institution as an autonomous body to determine the applicable fee rate for students.

In general there is a real requirement to have a responsive approach to student needs wherever possible and it is important to acknowledge that HEIs have to date shown enormous willingness to be responsive in numerous ways where a student’s study was impacted by COVID-19. I would encourage any student who is struggling with their course to contact their institution or access officer to be informed of the wide range of services which are available to them to support them on their journey, prior to making any decisions regarding the cessation of their studies.