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Currently, graduate entry medical students cannot obtain a government loan to cover the cost of university tuition fees. However, today’s announcement means that studying at Ulster’s Graduate Entry Medical School will be more financially accessible for students.
Speaking after a visit to the School of Medicine the Minister said:
"Expanding student numbers at Ulster University's Magee campus is a top priority for me and for the Executive. The Graduate Entry Medical School is a key component of the expansion. However to date, those medical students haven’t been able to access a Government loan to cover the cost of their university tuition fees.
"My Department will now offer this loan, making it easier to attract students to Magee and producing more medical professionals for our health service. This is a small but important step forward as we work towards 10,000 student places at Magee.”
Ulster University Vice-Chancellor Paul Bartholomew said:
"This is a significant development which will facilitate wider access to medical education in the North West. For the first time, our medical students will be able to avail of financial support. The Derry~Londonderry campus is already an attractive place for graduate-entry candidates who will go on to become the much-needed medical workforce of the future, and this new intervention will increase that attractiveness.
"We thank the Minister for his provision of this important support for our students. We will continue to work together to grow the Derry~Londonderry campus and to realise our ambition for it and the surrounding region, including a new School of Medicine building, as part of the Derry~Londonderry City and Strabane Region City Deal and Inclusive Future Fund.”
The decision to introduce these loans has been made with agreement from Health Minister Mike Nesbitt.
The Department for the Economy will lay the necessary regulations in Assembly for approval in the early new year to enable students to access tuition fee loans from the 2025/26 academic year.
During Minister Murphy’s visit to the School of Medicine, he had the opportunity to hear what students on the course thought of this news.
Rosie McGarvey, Graduate Entry Medical School student expressed how the funding will positively impact aspiring medical students, she said:
“This announcement will have a massive impact on prospective medical students at Ulster University. Personally, I know that most people on the course are self-funded, this would alleviate the burden financially.
"Any and all funding is very welcome, it would improve opportunities for studying and well-being, especially for students who maybe don't have the ability to self-fund. I think this will increase the diversity of people on the course, which in medicine, as in all walks of life is really necessary. And overall it would make the Derry~Londonderry campus a very attractive place to study.”
Graduate Entry Medical School student Gina Pritchett thinks this news will add to NI’s healthcare workforce, she said:
“I think the positive impact that this will have on anyone who desires to study at Ulster University will be first and foremostly removing any financial barriers. Everyone studying this course has already gained a degree previously so it will help relieve the burden of having to self-fund and help students dedicate themselves completely to their studies.
"With the programme being focused on bringing GP’s and doctors into Northern Ireland’s workforce, I think it will widen the participation on the programme and we will be able to get more doctors staying in Northern Ireland.”
The Graduate Entry Medicine programme at Ulster University is open to graduates from a wide range of science and non-science backgrounds. The course brings together a cohort of students with a diverse range of experience and skills, making this an exciting and stimulating entry route into the medical profession. Upon graduation, students will be awarded a primary medical qualification, an MBBS degree, which enables them to start work as a medical practitioner in the United Kingdom.