Bishop of Down and Connor and Chairman of the Board of St Mary's, Noel Treanor, said the removal of premia had the potential impact of removing the choice of attending a Catholic higher education institution from those wishing to be teachers:

"In the case of St Mary's, the premia also enables the provision of faith-based initial teacher education in the Catholic tradition, consistent with the provision of respect for the diversity of particular identities in Northern Ireland," he said.

"I agree with the plan to drive out inefficiencies in higher education in order to protect front line services; however, the premia are not a case of inefficiencies, rather they have a clear purpose of protecting diversity and quality in higher education provision."