Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 27 March 2025
18. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will ensure that any additional financial support for students at further and higher education level are also made available to students from this State studying outside our jurisdiction, such as in Northern Ireland and in Britain; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14303/25]
View answerIrish students who study in Northern Ireland, in EU member states and in Britain are entitled to certain supports provided by SUSI, subject to certain conditions which are set out in the Student Support Act, Student Grant Scheme & Student Support Regulations.
Such students are eligible for maintenance grants for undergraduate programmes across the EU and in Northern Ireland and Britain. In general, an approved undergraduate course in this context is defined as a full-time undergraduate course of not less than two years duration pursued in a university or third level institution, which is maintained or assisted by recurrent grants from public funds in another EU Member State or the UK.
The Act also provides for the payment of tuition fees for certain postgraduate programmes in Northern Ireland, but in general tuition fees are not provided for in other jurisdictions.
Students outside the State do benefit from certain additional supports which have been applied as part of a statutory scheme. For example, when SUSI Maintenance Grants were increased mid-year, eligible students studying abroad received the benefit of this uplift.
In some cases, however, the additional supports were specifically targeted at schemes which operate solely in the State. This is particularly the case with any supports provided under the Free Fees Scheme, which only applies to certain programmes, primarily in State funded institutions in this jurisdiction. The fees regimes operating in other jurisdictions are not encompassed by this Scheme.
This means that only students whose programmes are linked to the Free Fees Scheme can avail of measures such as the reduced student contribution which has been applied on a temporary basis in recent years as part of cost of living measures.
