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The Government is considering a grant scheme for Northern Ireland students applying to universities south of the border, to avoid fee hikes post-Brexit.<\/p>\nThe Government is considering a grant scheme for Northern Ireland students applying to universities south of the border, to avoid fee hikes post-Brexit.<\/p>\n
A-level students in Northern Ireland say they have been left in limbo over whether they will have to pay non-EU student fees after the UK leaves the EU in March, a factor that could heavily determine where they choose to attend university.<\/p>\n
Education Minister Joe McHugh said all cabinet ministers were currently looking at their own departments to assess whether new legislation would be needed after Brexit, however he had been made aware of this specific issue in the last few days.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll be looking within the education department around support grants or systems for students in Northern Ireland as to what will happen in 2019 or 2020 and the years following,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had a very good conversation with (Minister for Foreign Affairs) Simon Coveney this morning, he\u2019s very much of the opinion, like myself, that the common travel area agreements that we have will be protected in the eventuality of even a hard Brexit or no deal.\u201d<\/p>\n
When asked if students from Northern Ireland would need an Irish passport to secure the proposed grants, Mr McHugh said the fine print had not yet been set out.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery Northern Irish citizen, when they\u2019re born, has the option of being an Irish or British citizen or both, whatever the stipulation or small print that\u2019s needed, the most important thing is the systems in place at the moment continue, and that\u2019s where I\u2019m keeping my focus at the moment,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
We’re very conscious about the uncertainty that has arisen because of this conversation in the last few days<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re very conscious about the uncertainty that has arisen because of this conversation in the last few days.\u201d<\/p>\n
Students from Northern Ireland currently pay \u20ac3,000 a year towards their tuition, the same as those from anywhere else in the EU.<\/p>\n
However, those fees could rise by at least \u20ac10,000 a year if Northern Ireland students were to be classed as non-EU after Brexit.<\/p>\n
The most recent figures from the Higher Education Authority (HEA) show that there were 1,328 students from Northern Ireland at southern universities, colleges and institutes of technology in 2017\/18.<\/p>\n
Students from Northern Ireland who are already studying at a university in the south have been told their current fees will not change over the course of their degree.<\/p>\n