Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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2652.To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost to abolish all post-graduate fees. [33285/24]

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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2653.To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost to cap post-graduate fees to the same as undergraduate €3,000. [33286/24]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 2652 and 2653 together.

I thank the Deputy for raising matters in relation to the cost of providing additional supports for postgraduate students.

The Deputy will be aware that there are supports available to eligible students undertaking postgraduate study under the student grant scheme. Details of these postgraduate grant supports are available at:

Higher education institutions are autonomous bodies and are responsible for their own day-to-day management and operational affairs, including the management of academic affairs.

Postgraduate tuition fees and costs are set by each higher education institution. The higher education tuition fee payable by a postgraduate student can vary depending on a variety factors including the type of course and the fee rates of a particular institution.

My Department does not collect data on the postgraduate fees that institutions may charge for each course. An estimated cost of the State fully supporting all such fees or introducing a fee subsidy for all postgraduate fees is therefore not readily available.

In advance of Budget 2025, I will be publishing an options paper which will set out various possible measures to reduce the cost of attending higher education. I am doing this in order to facilitate public discussion on the various choices available to improve student supports. I will have regard to these options when making proposals in the context of budget discussions.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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2654.To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost for SUSI to cover 100% fees for post-graduates. [33287/24]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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As part of the Government's Budget 2024 cost of living measures, Post Graduate Students who met the eligibility criteria for a Postgraduate Fee Contribution Grant benefited from a once off increase in this grant of €1,000 from €4,000 to €5,000 during the 2023/24 academic year.

Maintenance grants for all postgraduate students are being re-introduced from September 2024 for the first time since the financial crash with a pro-rata effect from January 2024. Postgraduate students who already got a maintenance grant at the special rate previously have also benefitted from maintenance grant increases. The restoration of maintenance to Postgraduate students builds on positive changes to the Postgraduate Fee Contribution in the last number of budgets and is a really important step in helping students continue their educational journey.

In advance of Budget 2025 this autumn, I will be publishing an options paper which will set out various possible measures to address the cost of education. I am doing this in order to facilitate public discussion on the various choices available to amend student supports. I will have regard to the postgraduate fee contribution when making proposals in the context of budget discussions.