Background

The Programme for Access to Higher Education (PATH) is a dedicated fund, broken into three strands, committed to increasing participation by under-represented groups in higher education.

The fund, valued at over €30 million, was established by the Department of Education and Skills, now the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, in 2017 as a commitment to support the National Plan for Equity of Access to Higher Education 2015-2019.

PATH Strand 1 – Initial Teacher Education

The objectives of PATH 1 are to:

• increase the number of students from under-represented groups entering initial teacher education; and
• provide more role models for students from these groups, demonstrating that there are pathways open to them to realise their potential through education.

PATH 1 will support a range of new initiatives and partnerships and it is expected that these activities will result in increased students from under-represented groups participating in initial teacher education programmes.

Funding of €5.4 million was initially allocated over a six-year period from 2017/18. In April 2020, the Department of Education and Skills announced that funding for PATH 1 would continue for a further three years.

PATH Strand 2 – 1916 Bursaries

The purpose of the 1916 Bursary Fund is to commemorate the centenary of 1916 and underline the Government’s commitment to the type of equality of opportunity envisaged by the signatories of the 1916 proclamation. It forms part of the overall package of access measures to promote participation by under-represented groups in higher education.

Consistent with the vision, goals and target groups in the National Plan for Equity of Access to Higher Education 2015-19, the 1916 Bursary Fund will provide financial support to students identified by clusters of higher education institutions as being the most economically disadvantaged from specified target groups, and it will complement existing student supports and access initiatives.

The 1916 Bursaries differ from existing bursaries in a number of respects in that they are targeted at non-traditional entry and can support undergraduate study on either a full- or part-time basis. Each bursary will be in the amount of €5,000 per year.

Funding was provided for the award of 200 bursaries in each of the three academic years commencing 2017/18. In February 2020, the Department of Education and Skills announced the rollout of the 1916 Bursary Fund for a further three years starting in 2020/21.

With effect from 2021/22 academic year, a number of significant changes were made to the 1916 Bursary Fund that resulted in a substantial increase in the number and type of bursaries available:

• Provision for existing bursary holders to continue receive bursaries to study at postgraduate level (€5,000 per annum)
• Introduction of a ‘second tier’ of bursary to be paid to students each academic year (€2,000 per annum)
• A ‘third tier’ consisting of once-off payments of €1,500 i.e., payable for one academic year only

Further information on the 1916 Bursary Fund is available here.

PATH Strand 3 – Higher Education Access Fund

PATH 3 is intended to provide funding to support the development of regional and community partnership strategies for increasing access to higher education by specified groups.

This funding has been allocated on a competitive basis to regional clusters of higher education institutions and is intended to facilitate the attraction and retention of undergraduate students from target groups. It is intended that higher education institutions will form effective partnerships within their clusters and show evidence of how they will engage with local DEIS schools, further education providers, community and voluntary groups and other relevant stakeholders.

Funding of €7.5 million was initially allocated over a three-year period from 2018/19. In December 2020, the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science announced that PATH 3 will continue for a further three years with another funding envelope of €7.5m.