Ruth Coppinger
Question:426. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Education and Skills the annual cost of abolishing undergraduate and postgraduate fees, bearing in mind the reduction in tax relief on tuition fees. [25366/16]
View answerFriday, 16 September 2016
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The costs associated with the abolition of fees would be dependent on varying factors associated with study type, i.e. full-time or part-time, undergraduate or post-graduate, varying fees associated with different course types and higher fees for international students.
The position is that the Exchequer meets the cost of tuition fees, through my Department's free fees schemes, in respect of full-time undergraduate students who meet the terms of the scheme, including those relating to nationality and residency. Some 130,000 students qualified for free fees in the 2014/15 academic year at a cost of over €263 million. Students who qualify for free fees must pay the student contribution directly to their higher education institution which will stand at €3,000 for the current academic year. Some 50% of of students who qualify for free fees have the student contribution paid on their behalf by the Exchequer under my Department's Student Grant Scheme at a cost of 196 million. The costs in relation to tax relief on fees is a matter for the Department of Finance.