Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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431. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the circumstances in which a student would not benefit from the €1,000 student contribution reduction announced in Budget 23; the criteria that a student must meet in order to benefit from the reduction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60251/22]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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As part of Budget 2023, I secured a significant cost of living package for third level students, including a once-off €1,000 state financial support towards the undergraduate student contribution fee for higher education students eligible for my Department’s free fees schemes.

Funding through this once-off measure is available to full time undergraduate students eligible for the Department’s free fees schemes in academic year 2022 to 2023. Students who do not meet the criteria for the free fees scheme in this academic year therefore will not benefit from the reduction. 

Under the measure, eligible students will have the student contribution they are due to pay reduce from €3,000 to €2,000 in 2022/23. Students eligible for a 50% student contribution grant support as paid by SUSI will benefit proportionally and will see the amount they pay to their institution reduce from €1,500 to €1,000.

Additional information for students is available on gov.ie www.gov.ie/en/news/f20ab-budget-2023-1000-government-contribution-to-student-contribution-for-free-fee-scheme-students-in-academic-year-2022-to-2023/.  Where a student has a query on their eligibility to benefit under the above measures, or requires advice on how the scheme will be administered by individual institutions, they can engage directly with the institution attended.

Ineligible students can avail of the other supports, specifically through the Student Assistance Fund, which is administered through the higher education institution they attend. Further details are available at: hea.ie/funding-governance-performance/funding/student-finance/student-assistance-fund/.