Donna McGettigan (Clare, Sinn Fein)
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2540. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost to completely abolish the student contribution charge; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19757/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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The cost of abolishing the student contribution varies from year to year, depending on the number of eligible students attending higher education.

My Department published an Options Paper in 2024 where the cost of abolishing the student contribution was estimated to be in the region of €289m per annum. This equates almost €1.5 billion over one term of Government. This is the net additional cost to the State after allowing for savings that would accrue on the SUSI grant scheme which pays some or all of the student contribution for over 66,000 students.

The Deputy may be interested in reviewing last year’s Options Paper which is available on line at: .

Ahead of Budget 2026, I intend to publish the 2025 Options Paper. This will identify costs and potential impacts of various policy options aimed at reducing the cost of higher education. This will inform decisions ahead of Budget 2026.