Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity)
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2490. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will report on the possibility of encouraging greater flexibility for part-time options in higher education courses (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18675/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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Higher Education Institutions are autonomous bodies within the meaning of the Universities Act 1997, the Institutes of Technology Acts 1992 to 2006, and the Technological Universities Act 2018. As such they are autonomous in relation to their administrative and academic affairs, and the courses offered by any institution, and whether they are offered on a part-time basis, are a matter for the individual institutions to determine.

It is a priority of my Department to increase access to higher education through flexible and diverse pathways. €2m of support was secured for part-time provision in Budget 2024. This marked the first time that supports were being made available for students studying on part-time courses under the Student Grant Scheme.

In 2024 a new Part-Time Fee Scheme for Specified Undergraduate Courses was introduced to provide fee support to eligible part-time students attending specified publicly funded undergraduate courses leading to a major award. This included specified in person and blended/hybrid courses that provide between 30 ECTS and 50 ECTS, and its aim was to provide additional flexibility in respect of course provision to students who are socioeconomically disadvantaged.

The Part-Time scheme is aimed at supporting socioeconomically disadvantaged students and it is hoped that the scheme will open access to higher education to many under-represented groups who cannot participate in full-time programmes.

The Scheme for 2025 has now been published and a list of approved courses is available on the SUSI website: www.susi.ie/eligibility-criteria/approved-courses/undergraduate-students-approved-institutions---part-time-courses/.

This year the number of courses included have nearly doubled, going from 62 in 2024 to 111 in 2025. It is my hope that this new initiative will encourage higher education institutions to offer more courses on a part-time basis, and provide educational opportunities to those for whom full-time education is not a suitable option.