Alternative Admissions Schemes

for Young People With Disabilities and From Socio-Economically Disadvantaged Backgrounds

In the early 2000s, a small number of higher education institutions in the Republic of Ireland agreed to work collaboratively to devise alternative admissions initiatives for young people experiencing socio-cultural and socio-economic disadvantage, and with disabilities. This pioneering work led to the establishment of the Disability Access Route to Education (DARE) and Higher Education Access Route (HEAR) in 2008. These initiatives are based on a system of institutions reserving places on undergraduate courses, which are then offered to eligible applicants from the target groups who are below competitive entry requirements. The schemes have been integrated into the mainstream higher education application system and are available to target populations throughout the Republic of Ireland. Between 2009 and 2018, approximately 22,000 students had entered higher education undergraduate programmes through DARE and HEAR. The Irish higher education sector successfully collaborated to facilitate access and participation for under-represented students: a critical national policy objective.