NI Students Remain In Dark About ROI Tuition Fees

Hopeful students from Northern Ireland who plan to start university in the Republic of Ireland this year are still unaware of how much they will pay in tuition fees.

The young people are in limbo, waiting to find out if they will be treated as non-EU students after Brexit, with less than a month to go before the deadline for the first stage of applications.

Those travelling from countries outside the European Union to study in Ireland pay much higher fees than those from the Republic or the rest of the EU.

Northern Ireland students travelling across the border currently pay a "student contribution" of £2,700 a year, with many receiving a student loan to cover the cost.

That figure could rise to over £9,000 a year if such young people are classed as non-EU students after Brexit.

There has been a gradual rise in the number of students from Northern Ireland studying in the south in recent years, and many are now calling on the Irish government to provide clarity on the matter.

SDLP North Belfast MLA Nichola Mallon said she has now written to the Irish Government to request advice and a definitive plan for northern students after Brexit.

"I've been contacted by a number of concerned students who really want to study courses in Universities in the south but with less than one month to the deadline for applications, they still have no clear guidance as to their status and the fees they will have to pay in a post Brexit scenario. With a potential spike in annual fees from €3,000 to non EU yearly fees of €19,000 this will effectively wipe out the northern student population studying in the south," the MLA for north Belfast said.

"This is another tangible example of how the chaotic response of the British Government to Brexit is having a detrimental impact on the lives of young people and their families in Northern Ireland. This chaos is not of the Irish government's making but it is important that where it can, it provides clarity and certainty for northern students."

Mrs Mallon added: "I have written to the Minister of Education and Skills, Joe McHugh, asking him to advise on the Government's position in respect of this unique group of students particularly given the fact that under the Good Friday Agreement, all are entitled to and indeed hold Irish passports. This uniqueness must be reflected in any post-Brexit situation. With less than one month until applications close, these aspiring students need to know quickly what options are open to them so they can make informed decisions about their future."



(JG/CM)