Grant assistance remains available to postgraduate students on a more limited basis. The primary motivation for the Government in taking very difficult budgetary decisions is to retrieve our economic sovereignty and put the economy on a road to recovery. In closing the gap between revenue and spending, unpalatable savings measures are necessary and savings for student supports were inevitable as part of that. Given the growth in demand for participation in third level, the Government has endeavoured, to the greatest extent possible, to protect disadvantaged students.
In this regard, I have adopted a fees only contribution at postgraduate level but this will continue to provide support for a relatively wide number of post-graduate students. While there would be no maintenance payments, all ‘special rate' students will have their fees paid while another 4,000 students will receive a fee contribution of €2,000. In access terms, the requirement to pay a fee would be likely to be a greater obstacle to entry than lack of maintenance support. This approach has enabled me to ensure that substantial allocations continue to be made to students from lower income backgrounds to achieve an under-graduate qualification to improve their job opportunities.