Kathleen Funchion
Question:105. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of students that qualify for the free fees initiative based on the latest student numbers available. [20989/19]
View answerDáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 15 May 2019
105. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of students that qualify for the free fees initiative based on the latest student numbers available. [20989/19]
View answerUnder my Department's free fees schemes, the Exchequer provides funding towards tuition fee costs in respect of eligible students who are pursuing an approved full-time undergraduate course of study in an approved institution in the State. The main conditions of the scheme are that students must be first-time undergraduates, hold inter alia EU/EEA/Swiss nationality in their own right, and have been ordinarily resident in an EU/EEA/Swiss state for at least three of the five years preceding their entry to an approved third level course.
The number of students who received funding under the free fees schemes in the academic year 2017/18 was 138,200.