Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 31 May 2022
531. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will consider waiving some or all of the fees for students who have switched college courses, given that the experience of remote-learning distorted their ability to make a timely assessment that they were unsuited for their original choice of course. [27348/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe fee payable by a student can vary depending on a variety factors including the type of course and the student's access route including previous education.
In considering the position it is important to distinguish between the free fees policy of an individual Higher Education Institution and the eligibility criteria of separate tuition fee schemes provided by my Department.
Higher Education Institutions are autonomous bodies and the total level of tuition fees payable is a matter for the institution to determine, including during the period where delivery methods were adjusted in response to COVID. Should a student choose to depart a course of study during the academic year they may be entitled to a refund or partial refund of fees paid depending on the fee policy of the institution they were attending.
For Undergraduate students, under my Department’s Free Fees Initiative (FFI), the Exchequer provides funding toward the tuition fee costs of eligible undergraduate higher education students with students paying the student contribution.
A key principle of the scheme is to support students in progressing through a chosen course of study from year to year. To satisfy the terms and conditions of the FFI in relation to progression, a student must be moving from year to year within a course having successfully completed the previous year or, having successfully completed a course, is progressing to another related course where the award for the subsequent course is of a higher level than the previous course.
Typically students are not supported for a repeat period of study or for a different course at the same level under the FFI, however in exceptional circumstances such as ill health an exception may be allowed. The objective of this policy is to help as many students as possible to obtain one qualification at each level of study. However, once an equivalent period of study has been completed on the new course, the student may be eligible for free fees funding for the remainder of the course. An individual student's eligibility for the scheme, is assessed by the institution in accordance with the terms of the scheme.
Where undergraduate students do not meet the qualifying criteria of the FFI they are required to pay tuition fees in full to their higher education institution. It is a matter for the higher education institution as an autonomous body to determine the applicable fee rate for students.
In general there is a real requirement to have a responsive approach to student needs wherever possible and it is important to acknowledge that HEIs have to date shown enormous willingness to be responsive in numerous ways where a student's study was impacted by COVID-19. I would encourage any student who is struggling with their course to contact their institution or access officer to be informed of the wide range of services which are available to them to support them on their journey, prior to making any decisions regarding the cessation of their studies.
