What is the Free Fees Initiative?

Under the free fees initiative, the DES meets the tuition fees of eligible students who are attending full-time undergraduate courses (other than T.L.T. certificate and diploma courses in the Institutes of Technology where no tuition fees are payable). Such courses must generally be of at least two years duration, at approved colleges. These colleges include the publicly funded colleges and a number of non-publicly funded religious colleges which are approved for the purposes of the Higher Education Grants Scheme and which are part of the CAO system of entry. Eligible students are those who:

(a) are first-time undergraduates, and

(b) hold E.U. Nationality or Official Refugee Status

(c) and have been ordinarily resident in an E.U. Member State for at least three of the five years preceding their entry to an approved course.

Students who are repeating a year at the same level are generally not eligible under the Initiative. The Free Fees Initiative does not cover the charge payable by students to the colleges towards the cost of registration, examination and student services.