AN ADDITIONAL €2 million in supports, including scholarships, for underrepresented and disadvantaged students has been announced by Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris.

The measures are aimed at driving inclusion in higher education this year. The funding 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.

It will also support the establishment of a three-year programme worth €1.5 million in total to facilitate Traveller and Roma participation in Higher Education.

In addition, the department said these measures will allow people who are on certain existing scholarships to retain funding for additional courses including graduate entry medicine.

There had been calls before this announcement for government action to assist graduate-entry medical students after a decision by Bank of Ireland to discontinue a loan available to this cohort. Graduate entry medicine (GEM) students pursue the programme as a second degree – after first completing a separate related undergraduate degree – so they are not eligible for free fees funding or student grants.

Fees for GEM students are now set at €16,290 per year for Irish students and €55,140 for non-EU students.

Speaking today, Minister Harris said: “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.”

He said the State must also ensure it also helps diversify professions and this is why measures will allow certain scholarship holders continue their bursaries for graduate entry medicine courses.

“This will ensure more lone parents, people with disabilities or from socio-economically disadvantaged communities can enter the medical profession,” he said. “This is part of a wider set of measures we are examining for those seeking to access graduate entry medicine. We hope also to extend this to other courses too including legal courses.”

Minister Harris said the government will continue to prioritise members of the Travelling and Roma communities.

“Currently, 33 Travellers enter higher education every year,” he said. “We want to see that grow to 150. A new dedicated funding stream will assist with that.”

This three-year programme will provide funding of €450,000 each year to support the achievement of participation targets and supports. The funding will allow institutions to plan and roll-out targeted initiatives in the longer-term.

“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,” the minister said.

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 members of the Traveller & 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.