€1,500 student-services charge to increase to €2,000

The existing €1,500 student services charge for third-level pupils will be replaced with a flat-rate student contribution of €2,000 under the provisions of the four-year National Recovery Plan, Education Minister Mary Coughlan's department has confirmed.

The four-year plan shows that the gross allocation, including funding from the National Training Fund, for the Department of Education and Skills for 2011 will be €9.7bn.