Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 23 June 2016
131. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated costs of restoring the per capita funding at third level to 2010 levels taking into account projected demographic increases in the sector over each of the next five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17722/16]
View answerThe overall level of core funding resources in the higher education sector (from the state, student contributions, tuition fees and other income sources) has remained reasonably stable since 2010. However, the significant increase in student numbers has resulted in a decrease in the level of funding resource per student. It is estimated that at current student numbers, it would cost in the region of €240 million to restore the level of resource per student to 2010 levels. In addition, an estimate of the additional State funding required over the next five year period to accommodate likely growth in numbers is detailed in the following table.
Table 1: Core Income of HEA-funded HEIs
|
Year |
Total Core Funding |
Student Numbers (FTE) |
Funding per Student |
|
2010 |
€1,871 |
173,417 |
€10,789 |
|
2011 |
€1,850 |
177,780 |
€10,406 |
|
2012 |
€1,881 |
181,960 |
€10,337 |
|
2013 |
€1,840 |
183,809 |
€10,010 |
|
2014 |
€1,802 |
187,421 |
€9,615 |
|
2015 |
€1,831 |
192,294 |
€9,522 |
Table 2: Estimates Costs for Restoration and Demographics
|
Year |
Current Cost (m) |
|
Restore per capita levels |
€240 |
|
2017 |
€12.3 |
|
2018 |
€12.6 |
|
2019 |
€12.8 |
|
2020 |
€14.4 |
|
2021 |
€16.2 |
1. Total Core Funding takes account of income from the state block grant, student contributions, tuition fees and other income sources.
2. Cost estimates are based on Full-time equivalent student numbers in HEA-funded institutions.
3. Direct comparisons between the block grant funding per student in 2010 and 2016 are difficult as increases in the student contribution were matched by decreases in the block grant.
4. In the order of €240 million would be required to bring the overall per capita amount to 2010 levels i.e. from €9,522 to €10,789.
5. The estimates provided for 2017 - 2021 take account of demographic increases costed at 2010 level of funding per student. Please note that HEIs supplement state funding with student contributions, tuition fees and other income sources. These estimates relate only to the estimated additional cost to the State assuming that the student contribution remains at €3,000 and the proportion of state:non-state funding remains constant.
6. These figures do not include any additional costs to the student support budget.
