Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 25 March 2026
458. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to provide an update on the recognition of the National College of Ireland and its opportunities to be able to apply for State funding. [23013/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy will be aware, the National College of Ireland (NCI) is a private higher education institution, operating on a not-for-profit basis.
Private higher education institutions including NCI may be eligible to receive funding from the State for limited courses that are approved for funding under specific initiatives. These include the Free Fees Initiative, Apprenticeships and Springboard+. Under the respective arrangements, the State has agreed to provide funding for specific courses in line with specific agreements made between the relevant funding body and the private institution.
NCI currently offers nine programmes which are eligible for Free Fees. It is open to private institutions such as NCI to develop and operate courses outside of those approved for State funding. The establishment of such courses does not give rise to the provision of State funding to support delivery or free fees funding.
In relation to the Free Fees Initiative (FFI), the position is that approved course eligibility is restricted to full-time undergraduate courses in public higher education institutions (HEIs) as well as a limited number of designated courses in private, not-for-profit institutions. The National College of Ireland, as an autonomous not-for-profit body, has established undergraduate courses outside those approved for funding under the FFI. The extension of free fees funding to additional courses in private institutions only applies where a specific teaching and learning need has been identified by my Department, another Department or the Higher Education Authority (HEA).
An Expression of Interest process for 2026 will shortly be rolled out by the HEA, building on the success of a similar process in 2025 which created an additional 461 places across a range of programmes in the Health and Social Care Professions. As the primary mechanism for allocating funding to priority areas, the 2026 EOI process will determine the next phase of growth, and it remains open to NCI to apply for funding through this competitive call process, to provide courses in response to national skill needs.
The Higher Education Authority Act 2022 also provides for a designation by order process for higher education institutions, including private and not-for-profit providers. These provisions, however, have not yet been commenced and work to develop the associated policy framework, including the criteria and conditions for designation, remains ongoing.
