John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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315. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if there are any subsistence grants available for Irish students who travel across the Border to study; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40759/24]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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Under the terms of the Student Grant Scheme, grant assistance is awarded to eligible students attending an approved course in an approved institution who meet the prescribed conditions of funding including those relating to nationality, residency, previous academic attainment and means.

As the Deputy may be aware, the Student Grant Scheme provides maintenance grants to eligible undergraduate students pursuing approved courses in other EU Member States.

Irish students who choose to study in Northern Ireland are, per the Memorandum of Understanding on Education in the Common Travel Area, entitled to access to education at no less equitable terms than UK citizens studying in Northern Ireland. They would be eligible for home fees and have access to the Northern Irish Student Finance system.

Student grant legislation was amended in 2020 to retain the status quo, thus allowing maintenance grant funding for eligible students attending an approved undergraduate course in the UK to continue post Brexit.

Funding under the Free Fees Initiative is only available in respect of approved courses within the State. The Student Grant Scheme does not and never has extended to the payment of tuition fees to institutions outside the State, other than the exceptional provision in respect of postgraduate courses in four approved institutions in Northern Ireland. This provision is consistent with the principles of the Good Friday agreement and is intended to promote greater tolerance and understanding between both jurisdictions.

The Scheme does not extend to PLC courses outside the State or provide for maintenance grants for postgraduate courses pursued outside of the State.

Students seeking to pursue their studies in the UK are advised to contact the Student Finance agency in each of the Devolved Administration in the UK, as each jurisdiction may have variations in eligibility criteria. Students may also wish to contact the relevant Further or Higher Education Institution in the UK for advice on the type and range of supports that may be available in any specific college.