From Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science
Published on 17 October 2022
Last updated on 18 October 2022
Funding through this once-off measure is available to full time undergraduate students eligible for the Department’s free fees schemes in academic year 2022 to 2023.
Higher education institutions (HEIs) will revise the amount of the student contribution payable by free fees eligible students in 2022/23 as soon as practicable. The institution will contact students that are due a refund of any amounts already paid.
For students in private colleges, the reduction will only apply where students are attending approved free fees courses and where the student is eligible for free fees.
Funding through this once off measure is available to full time undergraduate students eligible for the Department’s free fees schemes in academic year 2022 to 2023 only; but does not include students not eligible for free fees; post graduate, part-time, non-EU fees or repeat year fees per criteria on the link below.
To avail of the funding, you must meet the criteria of the free fees schemes , as determined by the institution you are attending in academic year 2022 to 2023.
If you are a Free Fees eligible student who is also eligible for a 50% student contribution support as paid by SUSI this measure will benefit you proportionally and you will receive a €500 reduction in the value of the student contribution you are due to pay (from €1,500 to €1,000). If you receive full student contribution support through SUSI you are not impacted by this measure.
If you have paid the full €3,000 in semester one, a refund of €1,000 will be provided by your institution.
If you are eligible for the 50% student contribution grant from SUSI and have paid the full €1,500 in semester one, a refund of €500 will be provided by your institution.
The HEI will contact eligible students and seek the necessary account details to process a refund.
If you have been contacted by your HEI and asked to provide account details to facilitate a refund, you are required to provide the relevant details by 30 November 2022. If you have not provided the required details by the required date, the HEI may apply a credit to your account against any outstanding or future fees due.
You can pay the revised amount in full. Your institution will be adjusting the amount you will be charged over the coming weeks. Eligible students can proceed with making a payment of the revised amounts due.
Eligible students should make payments in line with the fee schedule of the institution.
Eligible students should make a minimum payment of the student contribution amounts due for semester one (€1,000 or the lower amount of €500 where students are eligible for a 50% student contribution grant from SUSI) with the balance of the student contribution due in semester two.
You may still opt to pay the revised student contribution in full due for academic year 2022 to 2023 in semester one.
The extra payment will be offset against semester two student contributions due.
For example, if you have paid €1,500 in semester one the payment due in semester two will be €500. Interim refunds of €500 (offsetting half of the credit for the first instalment of €1,500 to reduce it to €1,000) for the first instalment will not issue.
If you are a SUSI-eligible student, SUSI will pay a student contribution of €2,000 (students eligible for 100% support) or €1,000 (students eligible for 50% support) directly to your institution.
The State will pay will pay €1,000 separately to your institution, in addition to the tuition fees paid on your behalf.
If you are considering withdrawing from your course, we encourage you to contact your institution or access officer first, to be informed of the wide range of services available to you, to support you on your journey, prior to making any decisions about ending your studies.
If you formally withdraw from a course, you may be eligible for a refund of student contribution fees paid. General guidance is where a student formally withdraws from a course:
In recognition of the cost of living financial challenges facing full time free fees eligible undergraduate third level students funded through the department, the minister has announced a range of measures to provide additional supports for students in 2022.
Under the department’s Free Fees schemes, the State provides funding toward the tuition fee costs of eligible undergraduate Higher Education Institute (HEI) students with students paying the student contribution. The student contribution applies annually to all free fee eligible students and the current rate is €3,000 per year.
In accordance with the Budget 2023 announcement, the Government has decided to make a once-off contribution of €1,000 towards the student contribution paid by each free fees eligible student in academic year 2022/23 as a cost of living measure.
This will reduce the amount payable by free fees eligible students to their institution from €3,000 to €2,000 in academic year 2022/23. Students eligible for a 50% student contribution support as paid by SUSI will benefit proportionally and will receive a €500 credit (from €1,500 to €1,000) in the value of the student contribution they are due to pay.
Tuition fee grants are available to full-time students via the statutory-based Student Grant Scheme. The Student Grant Scheme, administered by SUSI, provides grant assistance to students pursuing an approved course in an approved institution, who meet the prescribed conditions of funding, including those relating to nationality, residency, previous academic attainment and means. You can find out whether you’re eligible with the SUSI eligibility reckoner .
If you are experiencing financial difficulty and are attending a publicly-funded HEI, you could get help from your institution’s access office through the Student Assistance Fund (SAF). The SAF assists students in a sensitive and compassionate manner who might otherwise be unable to continue their third-level studies due to their financial circumstances. This fund is administered on a confidential and discretionary basis.
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