Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 19 June 2025
432. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the amount raised in each of the past ten years via the annual student contribution (previously called the student services charge) at third level, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33271/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder the Free Fees Initiative, the State provides funding towards the tuition fee costs of eligible undergraduate higher education students exclusive of the student contribution.
The student contribution was introduced in the 2011/12 academic year. The student contribution replaced the student services charge levied by higher education institutions (HEIs), which were up to €1,500 in the 2010/11 academic year. The student contribution is currently set at €3,000 per annum.
Student contributions are collected by the higher education institutions (HEIs) and form part of their overall income each year. My Department does not collect information on the income generated by HEIs. Therefore, the information requested by the Deputy is not available.
HEIs publish their financial statements each year. These are available to view on the website of each HEI. Within these financial statements, HEIs provide details of their various income sources, including information regarding fee income. However, HEIs do not distinguish between the various types of academic fee income generated. Such fee income can include the student contribution, post-graduate fee income, international fee income etc.
In terms of estimated costs, the Deputy may be aware that my Department published an Options Paper in 2024 where the potential costs of reducing the student contribution in a single academic year were set out. In the paper it was estimated that removal of the €3,000 student contribution may cost in the order of €288.9m. These were the estimated additional costs to the State after allowing for savings of circa €149m that would accrue on the SUSI scheme.
Based on the above figures, the estimated fee income generated by the student contribution is in the region of €438m per annum.
