Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 May 2023
943. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the first- and full-year cost of extending the free fees initiative to graduate entry medicine; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24153/23]
View answerGraduate Entry Medicine (GEM) is one of the pathways to study undergraduate medicine. Graduate entry courses require applicants to hold a level 8 qualification prior to entry and completion of a graduate entry medicine degree confers a further level 8 qualification.
As the Deputy will be aware, the Free Fees Initiative (FFI) provides tuition fee funding for eligible first time undergraduate students and therefore students pursuing second level 8 degree courses, including graduate entry programmes, are not eligible for the FFI. My Department currently has no plans to amend the scheme criteriato provide for the undertaking of second undergraduate courses.
In terms of GEM tuition fees, the total level of fees charged to graduate entry medicine students is a matter for the higher education institutions, consistent with the principle of their institutional autonomy. Development of a scheme to provide for GEM tuition fees would require a specific engagement with providers to agree terms and conditions, including funding arrangements and student numbers. In this regard it is not possible to estimate potential costs associated with introducing a specific scheme to provide for free tuition fees for all GEM students.
However, the Deputy may wish to be aware that the State already provides support for broadening access to GEM programmes through the part-subsidy of places for EU students, with the fees payable by the student determined by the higher education institution, taking the availability of this subsidy into account.
My Department has been working to address the cost of provision of GEM by increasing the subsidy paid to higher education institutions. It has been agreed that the State contribution towards GEM places will gradually be increased over a multi-annual period from a rate of €11,950 per student in the 2021/22 academic year to a new rate of €14,500. The fees payable by the student will continued to be determined by the institution attended.
