To ask the Minister of Health for his assessment of (i) medical and dental students from Northern Ireland receiving reduced financial support in the form of grants, loans and bursaries in the final two years of a five or six year course; and (ii) how, with only reduced grants, loans and bursaries, these students are expected to cover living costs, especially with increased studying hours during these years of study.

There is no reduced financial support for medical and dental students in the final years of their course. NI-domiciled students undertaking their studies at a UK Medical or Dental school are provided with tuition fee support and may also be eligible for grants towards their living and travel costs on entering the fifth year of a first degree course in medicine or dentistry. Support may also be available to Medical students undertaking a one year, intercalated degree as part of their undergraduate degree course.

Queen’s University Belfast consistently receives a large number of applications for its medical and dental courses. The most recent figures show 1509 applications for 312 medical places in 2021, and 580 applications for 60 dental places in 2021. QUB Medical School also reports very low drop out from its medicine course, with an attrition rate of 4%.

Ulster University’s new Graduate Entry Medical School welcomes its first intake of students in September 2021; the university has reported 477 applications for 70 places.

The evidence available demonstrates that medical and dental courses in Northern Ireland are extremely attractive, heavily oversubscribed courses which the vast majority of individuals see through to graduation under the current support arrangements.