The Higher Education Access Route (HEAR) is an admissions scheme in Ireland that offers places in higher education courses to school leavers from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
What is Higher Education Access Route (HEAR)?
- It helps students who face social or economic barriers get admitted to college degree programs across universities, institutes of technology, and other higher education institutions.
- Applicants must meet certain eligibility criteria to qualify for HEAR. This includes factors like family income threshold, socio-economic grouping of their high school, and whether they have a disability or spent time in care.
- HEAR has a quota of places allocated on designated degree courses which candidates compete for based on school exam results. However, the exam scoring threshold is lower than general admission.
- It aims to support equitable access to higher education for marginalized groups and promotes third level participation irrespective of one’s financial situation or social circumstances.
- Successful HEAR applicants receive financial resources like a maintenance grant and free college tuition fees to assist their degree studies through a student assistance fund.
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