Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 29 September 2026
910. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the annual tuition fees charged to non-EU students in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, physiotherapy and veterinary medicine programmes in each higher education institution for each of the years from 2021-2022 to 2026-2027; whether this information has been sought from the institutions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68439/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraHigher education institutions are autonomous bodies under the Universities Act 1997 and the Higher Education Authority Act 2022, with responsibility for managing their academic, administrative and financial affairs. This includes determining tuition fee levels for individual programmes, including those applicable to non-EU students. Institutions are therefore responsible for setting and publishing their own fee schedules, taking account of programme delivery costs, clinical training requirements, international recruitment strategies and broader institutional considerations.
My Department's role is to provide the policy and funding framework for higher education and to work collaboratively with the Higher Education Authority and institutions to support national priorities, including the expansion of capacity in key healthcare disciplines. In that context, there has been substantial engagement with institutions in recent years to increase the number of education and training opportunities available in areas such as medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, physiotherapy, veterinary medicine and other health and social care professions.
As tuition fees for non-EU students are determined independently by each institution, my Department does not regulate, approve or maintain records of fee levels charged across individual programmes or institutions. Accordingly, my Department does not collect data on the annual tuition fee information requested for non-EU students in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, physiotherapy and veterinary medicine programmes.
Information on tuition fees is generally published by institutions as part of their admissions and international student information and is available directly from the relevant higher education institutions. Given the autonomy of institutions in this area, they remain the authoritative source for programme-specific fee information.
It is important to note that Ireland's universities and higher education institutions play a central role in supporting a high-quality, internationally connected higher education system. International students contribute to the diversity, global engagement and academic strength of institutions, while helping to sustain world-class teaching, research and innovation environments.
Separately, the Government has continued to invest significantly in expanding healthcare education capacity to support national workforce needs. Since 2022, approximately 1,697 additional annual healthcare and disability training places have been approved across disciplines including medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, physiotherapy and other health and social care professions. This reflects the Government's commitment to ensuring that higher education institutions have the capacity to support Ireland's future healthcare workforce requirements while maintaining the excellence and international standing of the sector
