Irish Government to Fund Health Study Places at Ulster University

The government of Ireland will provide funding for university positions, enabling students from the Republic of Ireland to pursue studies in health-related fields within Northern Ireland. Irish Health Minister Stephen Donnelly verified in an official statement that Ulster University will offer approximately 160 higher education places, incurring an expense of €9.5 million (£8 million). These positions are designated for students from the Republic of Ireland interested in pursuing nursing or various other disciplines, such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy, dietetics, speech and language therapy, and radiotherapy. The approximate number of students for each course include: Additionally, financial support will be allocated for 18 student slots at Queen’s University Belfast, intended for Northern Ireland residents commencing their studies in February 2025. This marks the second instance of the Irish Department of Health providing financial backing for student enrollments at universities in Northern Ireland. In prior arrangements, students accepting these places were subject to the identical student contribution fee as those enrolled in medical schools within the Republic of Ireland, and participants pledged to seek an internship position with the Irish Health Service Executive (HSE) upon completing their education. Earlier this year, funding was provided for an additional 50 medical student positions at Queen’s University Belfast. The Irish Department of Health collaborated with its equivalent department in Stormont to implement this program. Minister Donnelly stated: “I very much welcome the provision of additional training places in Nursing and Midwifery and Health and Social Care Professions for the academic year 2024/2025.”Increasing the future supply of health care workers is critical to addressing the workforce needs for our health service. This will build future workforce capacity to meet demand for health services.” Ulster University was contacted for a statement.