Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 July 2022
1486. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the estimated full-year cost of providing 100 new spaces at third level; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41491/22]
View answerMy Department allocates funding to the Higher Education Authority (HEA) for direct disbursement to designated HEIs. The HEA provides block grant funding to the Higher Education Sector, from within the allocation available, through the Recurrent Grant Allocation Model (RGAM) which is driven by overall student numbers. The grant is allocated as a block grant and the internal allocation is a matter for each institution.
The costs incurred by a Higher Education Institution in increasing student places on a particular course can vary depending on a variety of 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.
To provide the Deputy with an indication of the potential costs associated with increased places I can advice that the estimate costs of increasing full time undergraduate places, at a sectoral level, is c.€.1m to €1.2m (based on an average cost of €10,000 - €12,000 per undergraduate student).
