Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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483. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he has considered the deterring impact of the matriculation requirement of leaving certificate Irish, or in some cases, higher level leaving certificate Irish in order to enter certain level 8 CAO degree courses; if he has considered advocating for the abolition of this requirement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20387/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Higher Education Institutions are autonomous institutions within the meaning of the Universities Act 1997, the Institutions of Technology Acts 1992 to 2006 and the Technological Universities Act 2018.

Under this legislation, the institutions are academically independent and are entitled to regulate their own academic affairs and administrative processes including admissions, examinations, programmes of study and awarding degrees and other qualifications. My Department has no role therefore in setting the entry requirements for third-level courses.

Matriculation requirements (or minimum entry requirements) are intended to set the minimum level of prior academic achievement, which a student must have in order to have a good prospect of completing their chosen higher education programme. Matriculation requirements in the university sector are currently determined by individual universities and vary from institution to institution.

The NUI institutions (University College Cork, University College Dublin, Maynooth University, University of Galway) are the only higher education institutions with a specific Irish language matriculation requirement. Language requirements may also be in place for specific courses with a language component in other higher education institutions.

Entry requirements for NUI institutions are detailed here: www.nui.ie/college/entry-requirements.asp

The facility exists to apply for an exemption regarding matriculation requirement of Leaving Certificate Irish. Further information on the process of applying for an exemption can be found on the NUI website: www.nui.ie/college/entry-requirements.asp