Free Fees Initiative (undergraduate tuition)
Free Fees Initiative (Tionscnamh Táillí Saora)
Paid by Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science · 🇮🇪 Ireland
What this pays
The published value, how it is calculated, and whether it is cash or a credit ceiling.
Email and a six-digit code, then €50 a year. No password to forget.
Who qualifies
UnlockThe 5 published rules this programme tests you against — age, income, residency, household and the rest.
The steps, documents and official link are part of the paid plan. Checking how much you're owed stays free.
1 document you'll need
UnlockExactly what to gather before you start, so nothing sends you back to the beginning.
Where this comes from
Most undergraduate students attending publicly funded third-level courses do not have to pay tuition fees. The Free Fees Initiative means the Department pays the fees to the colleges instead.
A researcher has read this record against the official page.
Last checked against the official page on 5 October 2026
Source: www.citizensinformation.ie
Report an error Something wrong or out of date? Tell us.
Related reading: How to read a grant eligibility rule
Other education & training support in Ireland
10 more programmes are on the paid plan, with the amount, the rules, the documents and the steps for each.
- 1916 Bursary Fund
- Springboard+ (free and subsidised upskilling courses)
- School Transport Scheme
- HEAR / DARE (third-level access admissions routes)
- Back to Education Allowance (BTEA)
- Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme (VTOS)
- Post-Leaving Certificate (PLC) courses
- Erasmus+ student and staff mobility grant
- Fund for Students with Disabilities (FSD)
- Government of Ireland International Education Scholarship (GOI-IES)
Similar programmes
Fund for Students with Disabilities (FSD)
Higher Education Authority (HEA) for the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science
HEAR / DARE (third-level access admissions routes)
Irish Universities Association (IUA) participating institutions
School Transport Scheme
Department of Education (operated by Bus Éireann)
Springboard+ (free and subsidised upskilling courses)
Higher Education Authority (HEA) / Department of Further and Higher Education
Government of Ireland International Education Scholarship (GOI-IES)
Higher Education Authority (HEA) / Government of Ireland
SUSI Student Grant (maintenance and fees)
Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI, a business unit of CDETB)