Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 July 2018
506. Deputy Jan O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if a person that completed a level 7 degree in 2009 and paid the required fees themselves is eligible for funding under the free fees initiative to undertake a level 8 degree (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33192/18]
View answerCurrently under the terms of my Department’s Free Fees Initiative, where a student has already completed a course of third level study tuition fees are not paid in respect of a repeat period of study where the previous third level course attracted any exchequer funding (e.g. fees, maintenance, tax relief, subsidy towards course cost) even if the student did not avail of same. As the student has already successfully completed a Level 7 degree course they are therefore not eligible for free fees for the equivalent period of time spent on the first course of study.
If the student were progressing to a Level 8 course that was associated with the Level 7 course previously completed they may be deemed eligible for free fees for the additional years of the course, however the assessment of eligibility under the Free Fees Initiative in individual cases is a matter for each higher education institution to determine within the terms of the scheme.
Where students do not meet the eligibility criteria of the Free Fees Initiative they must pay the appropriate tuition fee as determined by the third level institution in accordance with their own criteria.
The main support available to students is the statutory based Student Grant Scheme. To qualify for grant support, a student has to meet various criteria such as means, residency, nationality and progression. The Student Grant Scheme 2018 and the Student Support Regulations 2018 can be accessed on my Department’s website via the following links:
http://www.education.ie/en/Learners/Information/Student-Grants/Student-Grant-Scheme.pdf.
http://www.education.ie/en/Learners/Information/Student-Grants/Student-Support-Regulations.pdf.
