Taoiseach promises no increase in student fees

Mr Martin has now firmly ruled out any potential increase to the €3,000 registration fee which students pay each year. File picture

The Taoiseach has promised that student fees will not be increased.

Micheál Martin said students had gone through a "very rough time" this year and he would be looking at ways to increase supports to those studying at third-level.

The Government has already announced that the cost of third-level education for families will form part of a comprehensive review of student grants.

Mr Martin has now firmly ruled out any potential increase to the €3,000 registration fee which students pay each year.

"In respect of their third-level education, it’s been very difficult for them, particularly the first years in third-level who had a difficult Leaving Certificate post-Covid-19," the Taoiseach said. 

We’re also conscious of the additional costs in terms of living away from home in a third-level city or town. So, we will be actually looking at how we can increase supports for low-income students in terms of maintenance grant schemes.

"This year we concentrated quite substantial monies, in terms of thousands of additional placements, not just in third level but in apprenticeships and various skills programmes to enable our people to be ready for any rebound in the economy to get jobs."

Higher Education Minister Simon Harris recently announced that the Susi higher-education grant would undergo a comprehensive review.

The value of the maintenance grants and income thresholds, the availability of grants for part-time students, adjacent and non-adjacent rates, supports for postgraduates, and how Ireland compares against other jurisdictions will all be examined.

Susi received 100,000 student grant applications for the 2020/2021 academic year, with more than 77,500 students assessed as eligible for support.