Third level student contribution fee to be cut by €150

The student contribution fee at third level will be permanently reduced by €150 under a range of measures aimed at the education sector in Budget 2027.

Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Jack Chambers also said there will be a 4.5% increase in the SUSI grant and new student contribution fee grants for families with more than one child at third level.

Minister Chambers said Ireland is well placed to "take advantage of the opportunities that AI offers, but only if we equip our people with the skills of the future", as he announced €5.3 billion allocation to the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science next year.

He told the Dáil that this will fund a new three-year National Training Fund skills package, aimed at strengthening skills resilience across the economy, "including the skills we need to adapt to a future where AI is central to work".

At primary and second level, the minister announced that capitation funding paid to schools will be increased by €17 million.

Per pupil, this will mean an increase of €68 to €342 at primary level, a 25% hike, and an increase of €42 to €446 at post primary, a 10% increase.

An additional €2m was also announced to support the DEIS Plus programme, with €3m being provided for an extra 100 Home School Community Liaison coordinators.

The minister said there will be funding to provide for 2,339 additional Special Needs Assistants next year, which will bring the total number of SNAs to 28,000, with funding also for an extra 1,353 teachers in special education.

The Dáil heard that additional funding will be provided to expand apprenticeship delivery and for 1,420 extra higher education places in key health and social care professions.