Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 June 2024
532. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science his plans to ensure continued access to third-level for all students seeking to avail of education at this level; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27251/24]
View answerFollowing on from improvements made to the Student Grant Scheme in Budget 2023, a range of further measures were announced as part of Budget 2024 to enhance the scheme and other supports.
For two years in a row, the student contribution charge has been reduced for free fees eligible undergraduates by €1,000. A number of other measures benefiting students in the 2024/25 academic year include:
• An increase to all non-adjacent maintenance rates by €615 and adjacent maintenance rates by 10% from September 2024. Eligible students saw a pro-rata increase effective from January 2024.
• The full restoration of student maintenance grants for postgraduates from September 2024 for the first time since the financial crash. A pro-rata increase was also effective from January 2024.
The parameters of a pilot part-time grant scheme are currently being finalised and I will announce the details in due course.
As we have done for the previous two years, I will publish an options paper on the cost of higher education which will outline various potential measures to address the cost of education across the further and higher education sectors to inform policy considerations in advance of the Budget.
