Maeve O'Connell (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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973. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if his Department is considering extending SUSI funding to all QQI-validated programmes at independent third level institutions. [51688/25]

Maeve O'Connell (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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974. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if his Department is considering including private and independent HEIs in the Unified Tertiary Framework, in order that students who obtain SUSI support at further education colleges do not lose out if progressing to such HEIs. [51689/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 973 and 974 together.

The main support available to assist students with the cost of attending higher education is the Student Grant Scheme. Under the 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.

The definition of an approved institution is set out in Section 7 of the Student Support Act 2011 and Regulation 3 of the Student Support Regulations/Student Part-Time Fee Regulations for Specified Undergraduate Courses 2025.

The list of approved institutions is predominantly populated by publicly funded institutions. While there are a small number of private institutions who have certain courses approved on the list, these are categorised as ‘not for profit’ institutions.

In the context of limited public funding and competing priorities, student support funding is currently prioritised towards full-time students undertaking study in approved publicly funded institutions and part-time fee supports for specified undergraduate courses.

It is open to higher education institutions that operate on a 'for profit' basis to use their own resources to provide financial supports to any of their students that they consider to be in particular need.

Student Grant Schemes are reviewed on an annual basis. Any expansion to a scheme would require consent of the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation. The Deputy will appreciate that the funding allocation for student supports is determined in the context of the overall estimates and budgetary process undertaken by all Government Departments having regard to overall resource constraints and other competing demands.