Brendan Griffin
Question:372. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to outline the benefits of recent budget changes in his Department. [45806/23]
View answerThursday, 19 October 2023
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Written answers
I am once again providing a significant package of measures to support students. We acknowledge that cost is a barrier to education and we’re continuing to break down that barrier and make further and higher education more accessible for more people.
For the second year in a row, I have reduced the student contribution fee by €1,000 for undergraduate students eligible for free fees. This will assist circa 94,000 - 96,000 students. If your household income is less than €100,000, you may be are eligible for a further €500 reduction in fees meaning the fee for college will be €1,500. In addition to that, if your fees were €1,500 – they will now be €1,000. These are real and substantial changes for thousands of students and their families. If you have paid your fees, your university will refund you or offer you a credit towards your next payment.
In addition to this, we have increased the student maintenance grant from September 2024. This will increase all non-adjacent maintenance rates by €615 and all adjacent maintenance rates by 10%. This will be effective from January 2024 on a pro rata basis benefit, so eligible undergraduate and PLC students in the current academic year will see their grant payments increase proportionally. This will benefit 2,459 students in Kerry.
From September 2024, grants for all eligible postgraduate students are being restored for the first time since the financial crash. A pro-rata increase will also be effective from January 2024. This will have a significant impact for students with some receiving a €2,000 boost. Postgraduate students who currently receive the special rate of grant will benefit from the maintenance grant increases previously outlined.
In addition to the above, I am increasing two student grant income thresholds. From September 2024 c3000 students may be eligible to receive a maintenance grant for the first time on foot of these increases and fees will be removed for an estimated additional c3,400 eligible students who earn less than €55,924.
For the first time ever, the student grant scheme will be extended to eligible part-time students. I genuinely believe that this has the potential to be seismic in the context of opening up opportunities for people and is a major step in the reform of the education system.