Q & A: Your education questions answered by Brian Mooney.

There is much confusion in relation to university fees and who is liable for payment. At undergraduate level, there are three categories of fee status: "Free", European Union (EU) and non-EU. Since 1996, the Exchequer pays tuition fees (so-called "free" fees) to the universities on behalf of full-time undergraduate students who meet defined criteria. Students who do not meet the criteria will be liable for either EU fees or non-EU fees. While a student must hold EU nationality in order to qualify for free fees, the assessment for EU fees is based not on nationality but on residency.

To qualify for free fees a student must hold EU nationality or refugee status in Ireland, and have been resident in an EU member state for three of the five years prior to entry, and have not attended third level before.

Children of Irish diplomats, and of employees of certain State development bodies such as the IDA and APSO who are located outside the EU are considered to have EU residence.

While the tuition fee paid is by the Exchequer, the student pays the student services fee (€670 in 2003/4). However, if a student is awarded a local authority grant, the authority will pay this fee.

Children of asylum seekers or those with humanitarian leave to remain in this State do not qualify for free fees. Students who are repeating either a half-year or full year at university are liable for fees for the same period. In circumstances such as certified serious illness, a student may apply to the university for free fees to retake that year.

Students who do not qualify for free fees will pay either EU fees or non-EU fees. In 2003/4 in UCD, the EU fees range from €3,800 to €6,900 and the non-EU fees from €10,500 to €22,340.

An EU passport, EU citizenship or refugee status does not grant automatic entitlement to EU fees. EU fee rates apply only to students who meet the following conditions.

For a student aged under 23 on September 1st on the year of entry, his or her parent(s) must have been permanently resident (that is "principal residence for the purpose of taxation") in an EU member state for three of the five years prior to entry, and the student must have been permanently resident in an EU member state for three of the five years prior to entry.

Students aged 23 or over on September 1st on the year of entry must have been permanently resident as a tax-payer (that is "principal residence for the purpose of taxation") in an EU member state for three of the five years prior to entry. Any period of residence as a student or as a holder of a student visa is not included in the assessment of years of residence.

Students who do not meet the residency conditions for free fees, but were born in Ireland and who received both primary and secondary education in Ireland and have no previous third-level attendance pay the EU fee.

While students may be classified as EU applicants for CAO admission purposes, this does not guarantee EU fee status.

All students are assessed for fee status by the university following acceptance of a place offer and will be notified at that time of the fee payments due.

Brian Mooney is president of the Institute of Guidance Counsellors. E-mail questions to bmooney@irish- times.ie