I propose to take Questions Nos. 574 to 578, inclusive, together.
The costs incurred by a Higher Education Institution in increasing student places on a particular course can vary depending on a variety factors including the type of course and the individual circumstances of the relevant Higher Education Institution. It is therefore not possible to definitively calculate the costs sought.
The Higher Education Authority (HEA) has provided the below estimates, based on 2020/21 full-time enrolments (excluding Non-EU fee paying students), to provide the Deputy with an indication of the potential costs associated with increased places in the courses queried:
- 1% increase in full-time undergraduate medical students has an estimated cost of c.€936,000 - €982,000.
- 1% increase in full-time undergraduate nursing and midwifery students has an estimated cost of c. €710,000 - €745,000
- 1% increase in full-time undergraduate speech and language therapy students has an estimated cost of c.€35,000 - €37,000.
- 1% increase in full-time undergraduate occupational therapy students has an estimated cost of c.€39,000 - €41,000
- 1% increase in full-time undergraduate psychology (UG Honours Degrees) students has an estimated cost of c.€133,000 - €139,000
- 1% increase in full-time postgraduate psychology students has an estimated cost of c.€23,000 – €24,000.
Please note the above estimates exclude any additional costings which may be met by other agencies or departments and that a 1% increase in student numbers may equate to a very small number of additional students places on some of the programmes highlighted.