Extra financial supports in the form of Scholarships for Underrepresented and Disadvantaged Students are to be made available in order to improve access higher education.
The supports are in addition to the €3 million to enhance opportunities for students with intellectual disabilities and autistic students to access higher education this year.
This €2 million funding in 2022 will include:
- an additional 50 bursaries of €5,000 per student for the most disadvantaged students including those with a disability, mature students, lone parents, and further education award holders
- a new 3-year stream of funding to support Traveller and Roma participation in higher education
- allowing those on certain existing scholarships retain the funding for graduate entry medicine
Scholarships for Underrepresented and Disadvantaged Students
Simon Harris TD is the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science said:
“One of my key priorities since becoming Minister is to promote access to education. We have placed a relentless focus on promoting inclusion.
“Education is for everyone and yet there remains significant cohorts not represented in higher education.
“That is why we intend to launch a new National Access Plan to ensure we change the conversation about higher education and ensure it is available to all who wish to access it.
“We also must ensure we help diversify our professions too. That is why I am particularly pleased that we are allowing certain scholarship holders continue their bursaries for graduate entry medicine courses.
“The student must be at the centre of all that we do, everyone should have equity of access to education independent of their socioeconomic background, ethnicity, gender, geographical location, disability or other circumstances, and this additional ring-fenced funding is created to support all in entering, participating in and succeeding in higher education.”
In addition, consideration is being given for new measures to promote transitions from further education to higher education for priority groups with a specific emphasis on supporting students who are member of the Traveller and Roma communities.
Once-off measures will also be provided to support the development of partnership with DEIS schools, the further education sector and other community partners to support students from underrepresented groups to access higher education.
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