Students from Northern Ireland who come to study at NUI Galway will keep their EU fees status after Brexit.
The university welcomed confirmation from the Department of Education that people in Northern Ireland who enroll for 2019/2020 will still be able to use the Department’s Free Fees Initiative as in previous years.
This means that anyone who enrolls this year will be entitled to be part of the Free Fees Initiative for the duration of their course.
The majority of third-level undergraduate courses in Ireland do not have tuition fees, only a registration fee.
Under the Free Fees Initiative the department pays the fees the university, college, or IT instead
NUI Galway Registrar and Deputy President Professor Pól Ó Dochartaigh said that historically NUI Galway draws a lot of students from Northern Ireland.
“It is very important that A Level students in Northern Ireland who wish to study at NUI Galway are not disadvantaged as a result of the UK’s departure from the European Union.”
He added that the number of students coming to NUI Galway from Northern Ireland has been growing, and they hope to see plenty of applicants for the university’s 67 undergraduate courses this year.
Many things regarding Brexit and its impact on Ireland are still very uncertain as the March deadline looms and no progress has been made on coming to an agreement.
But for now, Northern Irish students considering applying at NUI Galway are encourage to come along to the university’s Open Day on Saturday, April 4.
According to Sarah Geraghty, Head of Student Recruitment and Outreach at NUI Galway, “Students and parents visiting from Northern Ireland will have an opportunity to see just how close NUI Galway is to home.”
“Tour the on-campus accommodation facilities and find out how affordable the cost of living can be for students in NUI Galway compared with other study destinations.”