Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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543. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he intends to put additional supports in place to assist third level students in dealing with changing to alternative college courses, and those considering dropping out of college altogether, given that there has been an increased dropout rate for third level college courses among students who completed their Leaving Certificate during the Covid-19 pandemic in June 2020 and June 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4011/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The HEA’s “Analysis of Non-Progression Rates in Irish Higher Education Institutions” was published on 11th April 2022 and provides data on the new entrants cohorts for 2017/18 – 2019/20. The report shows a continuation of the gradual downward trend in non-progression rates from 16% for the 2010/11 entry cohort to 12% for the 2018/19 cohort. This trend accelerated for the 2019/20 cohort with only 9% of new entrants in 2019/20 not progressing to second year in 2020/21. This is likely due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, as students who may have considered leaving their course had limited options available for employment or travel due to public health restrictions. The next HEA report on Non-Progression rates will be published around March/April 2023.

The main support available to assist students with the cost of attending higher education is the Student Grant Scheme. To satisfy the terms and conditions of the Scheme in relation to progression, a student must be moving from year to year within a course having successfully completed the previous year or be transferring from one course to another where the award for the subsequent course is of a higher level than the previous course.

Under the progression/previous academic attainment criteria of the scheme, a grant will not be paid to a student for a repeat period of study on the same course, or for a different course at the same level, irrespective of whether or not a grant was paid previously. The objective of this policy is to help as many students as possible to obtain one qualification at each level of study. However, once an equivalent period of study has been completed on the new course, the student may be eligible for student grant assistance for the remainder of the course.

The Student Grant Scheme also contains a “second chance” provision, whereby mature students who previously attended but did not successfully complete a course re-enter an approved course following a break in studies of at least five years may be assessed for grant assistance. I intend to have this waiting period reduced to three years for the 2023 Student Grant Scheme

In addition, under Article 15(8) of the Student Grant Scheme 2022, the awarding authority SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland) has discretion to award a grant for a repeat period of study in exceptional circumstances which impacted on a student completing a particular period of study or undertaking exams. SUSI treats each application for repeat funding on a case-by-case basis, and it is it is a matter for the individual student to demonstrate to the satisfaction of the awarding authority that there were exceptional circumstances.

The mental health and well-being of students is a priority for this Department. This Department has progressed a number of initiatives, in partnership with the Higher Education Authority (HEA) and Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), over the last number of years to address the mental health and well-being issues faced by students in higher education.

This Department allocates funding for mental health supports to the HEA for direct disbursement to HEIs. €2 million is provided to address student mental health and well-being in higher education each year.

Also, in addition to the €2 million in funding supports made available for student mental health services and well-being in 2022 through core funding, Minister Harris secured a further €3 million, allocated to higher education institutions this year in response to a growth in a demand for services since students returned to campus.

The funding being delivered targets the support of student mental health and well-being, with a specific focus on the provision of counselling services. The funding will also be integral to the implementation of the National Student Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Framework launched in 2020, Ireland’s first-ever national approach to address student mental health and suicide prevention. This funding will bring the total amount delivered since the launch of the Framework to €15 million.

In terms of other supports available, students in third-level institutions experiencing exceptional financial need can apply for support under the Student Assistance Fund. This Fund assists students, in a sensitive and compassionate manner, who might otherwise be unable to continue their third level studies due to their financial circumstances. The SAF is available to assist students who are unable to meet costs associated with day-to-day participation in higher education, including: books and class materials, rent lighting, food, essential travel and childcare. I have recently announced an additional €4.3 million to be allocated to SAF to assist students with the cost of living. This was in addition to the €8m that was allocated in Budget 2023. This brings the total allocation for the Student Assistance Fund for the 22/23 academic year to over €20 million, which is the highest amount that has ever been provided under this fund. The HEA will distribute funding of over €4.3m to the HEIs in early 2023.