Mature Students: DIT's Fee Policy

As a full-time Mature Student, you may qualify for the Free Fees Initiative, under which the Irish government will pay the tuition fees for your chosen course. The Free Fees Initiative does not cover the Student Contribution Charge (formerly known as the Registration Fee), however, so you would have to pay this yourself. For the 2012/13 academic year, this charge was €2,250. If you qualify for a Student Grant, the Student Contribution Charge may be paid by your Grant Authority - see our Grants pages for more details.

Note: The Free Fees Initiative does not apply to postgraduate or part-time programmes.

There are three rates of fees for students attending DIT:

1. Free Fees
2. EU Rate of Fees
3. Non-EU Rate of Fees

If you do not qualify for either the Free Fees Initiative, EU Rate of Fees or a Special Exemption (see below), you would be considered an International Student and would have to pay the Non-EU Rate of Fees. In this case, you should contact the DIT International Office for more details.

If you do not qualify for the Free Fees Initiative, you may be eligible to claim tax back on tuition fees that you have paid - see our Tax Relief page for more details.

Free Fees:

To qualify for the Free Fees Initiative, you must meet ALL of the below criteria:

1. First Undergraduate Qualification: Application for study in DIT must be your first undergraduate program of study at a recognised NFQ (National Framework for Qualifications) Level AND
2. Nationality Test: You must be in possession of:
   1. a valid EU passport (note: holders of EEA or Swiss passports are considered EU students for fees assessment) OR
   2. an original, long-form Irish Birth Certificate OR
   3. an original EU National Identity Card OR
   4. be in possession of Official Refugee Status OR
   5. be in Ireland under the Family Reunification Scheme
   6. AND
3. Residency: You must have been ordinarily resident in an EU member state (or Switzerland or an EEA state) for at least 3 of the 5 years preceding your entry onto your chosen course in DIT.

EU Rate of Fees:

If you do not qualify for the Free Fees Initiative under the above terms, you may still qualify for the EU Rate of Fees (and may still be eligible to apply for the Higher Education Grant). To qualify for the EU Rate of Fees, you must meet ONE of the below criteria:

1. You are ordinarily resident in the EU and have received full-time post primary education in the EU for 3 of the 5 years immediately preceding admission OR
2. You are ordinarily resident in the EU and have worked full-time in the EU for 3 of the 5 years immediately preceding admission OR
3. You hold a passport from an EU state and have received full-time education in the EU for 3 of the 5 years immediately preceding admission.
4. Note: The period that Non-EU students are resident in Ireland on Study Visas does
   not contribute towards the residency requirement in relation to fee assessment
   at DIT.

Special Exemptions:

Free Fees for Level 8 (Honours Degrees) will be applied to applicants who meet ONE of the below criteria AND fulfil the first programme of study / nationality requirements:

1. A child or spouse of Irish Government Officials on assignment outside of Ireland (either within or outside of the EU) OR
2. A child or spouse of officials of Irish Semi-State Agencies on assignment outside of Ireland OR
3. A child or spouse of Irish Volunteer Development Workers, as certified by Irish Aid/APSO

Free Fees for Level 6 or 7 (Certificates/Diplomas/Ordinary Degrees) will be applied to applicants who meet the below criterion:

1. Non-EU nationals who have been granted (i) Official Refugee Status OR (ii) are in Ireland as part of the Family Reunification Scheme are entitled to free fees for level 6 or level 7 programmes only if they do not meet the residency requirement. However, it must be the applicant’s first undergraduate programme of study. Please note that the residency requirement is waivered in these cases for such applicants applying for level 6 or 7 programmes but that the residency requirement is not waivered for such applicants applying for level 8 programmes.

EU Rate of Fees will be applied to applicants who meet ONE of the below criteria:

1. A child (under 23 years of age) or spouse of members of the Diplomatic and Technical and Administrative Staff of accredited non-EU embassies serving within the EU OR
2. A child or spouse of an Irish Aid Fellow from a non-EU country OR
3. An applicant who has received all of his/her full time post-primary education within the EU, but who has not been resident in the EU for three of the five years preceding the official admission date to the programme. (The applicant must be in possession of a valid EU passport) OR
4. A person who is ordinarily resident in Ireland for 3 of the past 5 years on a Leave to Remain (on Humanitarian Grounds) status issued by the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform will qualify for EU fees.

Contact Us:

Our Mature Student Support Officer is here to help you and will be happy to answer any questions you have. If you need any further information, contact Bob O Mhurcu at ms.info@dit.ie or (01) 402 7658.

All information correct according to DIT's International Fee Policy, April 2009

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