Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 22 June 2021
452. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number and percentage of students accepted onto a higher education course on the basis of a further education qualification in each year since 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32965/21]
View answerThe National Plan for Equity of Access to Higher Education 2015-2021 set a participation target of 10% for students who are new entrants to higher education and their basis for admission is a further education and training qualification for 2019. The 2018 Progress Review of the NAP shows that participation increased from 6.6% at the commencement of the NAP to 7.3% in 2017/2018. The source of the data is the CAO.
In 2018/19, an entry basis tag was introduced in the Student Record System which provides the number of further education qualification holders in higher education identified by the HEIs themselves as entering their course based on a further education qualification for 1st year full-time undergraduate new entrants.
This data shows that for 2018/2019, the number of Further Education Award or equivalent students is 2,355 and for 2019/2020 it is 2,579. This equates to 5.6% and 6.0% respectively for all full-time undergraduate 1st time new entrants to higher education whose basis of admission is a further education qualification.
