Liam Quaide (Cork East, Social Democrats)
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995. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills His Department's engagement with the Higher Education Authority since his Department's March 2014 advice that education institutions should charge the more moderate rate of EU fee for full-time undergraduate students that commence their first undergraduate course and hold EU/EEA/Swiss nationality but do not meet the residency clause of the Free Fees Initiative; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8147/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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The higher education tuition fee payable by a student can vary depending on a variety of factors including the type of course and the student's access route. The assessment of a student’s application and the determination of the appropriate fee rate is a function of the higher education institution attended as an autonomous body. Typically, two rates of fee, an EU Rate of Fee or a non-EU rate of tuition fee, apply across the sector. An institution’s criteria will generally include specified Nationality and/or Residency requirements that students would be expected to meet to qualify for the EU rate of fee.

Under the Free Fees Initiative students may be able to avail of tuition fee funding supports. Through the initiative the State pays tuition fees, exclusive of the student contribution, on behalf of eligible students attending approved full-time undergraduate courses. In order to qualify for funding under the Free Fees Initiative, students must meet the criteria of the scheme including the residency requirements in their own right. In order to meet the residency criteria a student must have been ordinarily resident in an EU/EEA/Swiss/UK state for at least three of the five years preceding their entry to an approved third level course.

As referenced in the Deputy’s question, following consideration by Government, in March 2014 the then Minister for Education and Skills requested that the Higher Education Authority (HEA) advise the higher education institutions under its authority of the Government’s view that, with effect from the academic year 2014/15 onwards, higher education institutions should charge the more moderate rate of EU fee for full-time new entrant undergraduate students that:

• Hold EU/EEA/Swiss nationality but do not meet the residency clause of the Free Fees Initiative; and
• Have completed at least five academic years of study (at either primary or post-primary level) in an EU/EEA/Swiss state.