Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire
Ceist:336. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of students that qualify for the free fees initiative based on the latest student numbers available. [35261/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraDáil Éireann Debate, Friday - 6 September 2019
336. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of students that qualify for the free fees initiative based on the latest student numbers available. [35261/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder my Department's free fees schemes, the Exchequer provides funding towards tuition fee costs in respect of eligible students who are pursuing an approved full-time undergraduate courses of study in an approved institution in the State. The main conditions of the scheme are that students must be first-time undergraduates, hold inter alia EU/EEA/Swiss nationality in their own right, and have been ordinarily resident in an EU/EEA/Swiss state for at least three of the five years preceding their entry to an approved third level course.
I wish to advise the Deputy that the number of students who received funding under the free fees schemes in the academic year 2018/19 was 138,748.