James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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232. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to make the cost of third level education more affordable for families. [22103/26]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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I am conscious of reducing the cost of education for students and I have consistently outlined my commitment to improving student supports in a way that is equitable, funded and fair, and provides certainty for families.

I was therefore delighted in Budget 2026 to be in a position to introduce tangible and permanent changes that support students from all backgrounds and help reduce the cost of education.

All non-adjacent maintenance grant rates under the Student Grant Scheme, will increase by at least €200 effective from September 2026 with a pro-rata benefit for students this academic year whose normal residence is 30km or more from their institution.

For this academic year, I permanently reduced the Student Contribution Charge for free fees eligible students and permanently increased the Postgraduate Fee Contribution Grant increased by €500 from €4,000 to €4,500.

Effective from September 2026,

• eligible students with household earnings under €120,000 will avail of the €500 student contribution grant. These students will therefore pay no more than €2,000 towards the student contribution charge in the 2026/27 academic year.
• The income threshold for the Special Rate of Grant will increase from €27,400 to €28,600 in line with Social Welfare increases.