
Students rail against possible rise in third-level fees
third-level
fees this year would be 'sickening', one student told
The Irish Times
, as the
Union of Students in Ireland
(USI) called the proposed return to €3,000 annual payments 'a cynical and calculated betrayal' by the Government.
For the past three years, a cost-of-living measure has reduced the student contribution of €3,000 by €1,000.
This week,
Minister for Higher Education James Lawless
suggested that the end of temporary cost-of-living packages would mean that fees payable by students would increase. Taoiseach Micheál Martin said there was no funding earmarked at present for avoiding an effective €1,000 increase this year.
Students and their representative bodies have expressed concern over the financial strain this hike in fees would place on those already struggling to fund their studies. Some described spending several hours commuting daily to afford college, while others said they had skipped meals to cut costs.
READ MORE
President of IADT students' union Lavender-Jane Gartlan feels the potential increase in fees is a 'slap in the face' to lower-income students and families.
Lavender-Jane Gartlan: 'We ended up having to set up a network of students that were willing to give up a couch.'
Gartlan, who graduated from a film design course in 2024, said she doesn't want to see a student in the same position she found herself in while studying.
'I received a Susi [Student Universal Support Ireland]grant to cover my fees, but still, during my studies, I was homeless twice, sleeping in my friends' houses and trying to get by, working 25 to 35 hours a week to save up enough money to rent somewhere.'
She said this caused her health to suffer and her grades to drop, often leaving her choosing between food and bus fare.
Last year, she was aware of 'about six students' experiencing homelessness, with some living out of their cars.
'We ended up having to set up a network of students that were willing to give up a couch' to those who couldn't find or afford accommodation, she said.
She believes an increase in fees would be the Government telling students, 'we don't care about you'.
'Where is the Government's compassion? When did being kind and wanting everyone to be treated equally become an act of such defiance?'
Alex Angland, president of the students' union in University College Cork (UCCSU), has also seen students 'attending lectures hungry due to financial pressures'.
A cost-of-living report published by UCCSU in September found that more than half of students' college experiences were negatively affected by the costs involved.
He said the fee reduction 'has been a significant aid to students these past years, ensuring that a more financially diverse cohort can avail of third-level education.'
University College Cork students' union believes 'the cost of living package should be renewed, Susi should be reformed, and the Government must invest in student accommodation'.
On Monday, the USI branded the move as 'regressive' and 'a cynical and calculated betrayal of students. The timing is no coincidence – aligning with the July 1st CAO change-of-mind deadline, leadership transitions within student unions, and now, this sudden rollback.'
During the summer months, students' union officers are involved in handover processes to newly elected staff.
USI president Bryan O'Mahony said the proposed fee increase is 'not just cowardly, it's disgraceful'.
'After years of chronic underinvestment, students continue to pay the price,' said O'Mahony. 'Was the fee reduction merely a short-term election stunt? Are we expected to endure the same cycle of pre-election sweeteners followed by post-election reversals?'
Trinity College's students' union president, Seán Thim O'Leary, echoed O'Mahoney's sentiment, saying the announcement of a potential fee increase 'was deliberately timed to dodge accountability from student unions, as leadership across the country switches hands'.
Thim O'Leary believes the Government has shown 'utter contempt for student welfare at a time when students are being forced into couch surfing, hours-long daily commutes, and homelessness.
'What is needed now from the Government, if they have any intention of showing care towards students, is a return to a policy of fee reduction for the coming academic year, an increase in per capita core funding for higher education and urgent and meaningful reform of Susi.'
Darragh McCusker, a final-year applied psychology student at IADT, said that while his parents help pay his fees, he will still feel the impact of a €1,000 increase.
Darragh McCusker is not really 'surprised' that the student contribution fee may return to its original cost.
McCusker drives from Kildare to IADT's Dún Laoghaire campus every day, which costs him up to €70 in petrol a week. He works full time during the summer and both weekend days during term time to support himself.
He said he's 'not really surprised' that the student contribution fee may return to its original cost.
He believes fees were brought down 'coming up to election time' so political parties 'look like they're doing something for students'.
Patrick Flynn describes the potential increase in third-level fees as 'sickening'.
Patrick Flynn also commuted, spending four hours travelling daily by bus to and from home in Nobber, Co Meath, for the duration of his studies in Trinity College Dublin.
Having just completed an undergraduate degree in environmental sciences, Flynn plans to start an online master's programme at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona in September as a means to save money.
He describes the potential increase in third-level fees as 'sickening but not surprising', adding that 'it's very in keeping with what I've come to expect from the Government'.
Renting in Dublin was not a financially viable option for Flynn, like many others, but the time spent commuting often came at a personal cost. 'I was frozen out of parts of the college experience,' he said, 'missing out on character building and fun experiences'.
Flynn worked throughout his summer holidays and on weekends as a teaching assistant at the Centre for Talented Youth Ireland in DCU.
'I couldn't go without working, but this was an extra pull on already limited time. I really had to stretch myself in the last month of the semester. It was touch and go on whether I'd have any money in my account.'
Given that he was able to avail of a reduction in contribution fees, Flynn anticipates plans to hike fees will place 'a very material strain' on students, many of whom he says are 'already struggling in precarious positions'.
Maisie Hall: 'While we might expect the Government to be out of touch with most aspects of student life at this point, you would hope that they would be aware that the situation is only getting worse.'
University of Galway students' union president Maisie Hall said a fee increase could be the difference between students receiving, or not receiving, a third-level education.
'While we might expect the Government to be out of touch with most aspects of student life at this point, you would hope that they would be aware that the situation is only getting worse.'
She feels 'as though a decision has been made on our behalf that the cost-of-living crisis has ended for students. I can guarantee you it has not.'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Irish Times
7 hours ago
- Irish Times
Simon Harris considers Gaza national day of solidarity
Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Harris is considering plans for Ireland to hold a national day of solidarity in support of the people of Gaza . Mr Harris said a proposal for a national day of solidarity was a 'sensible and a good idea'. The proposal was made by Michael Cush and appeared in the letters page of The Irish Times on Thursday. 'The Government has been brave and consistent in its condemnation of the atrocities in Gaza. But it has been frustrated, too,' Mr Cush wrote. 'But, together, the Government and the people might be much more influential. READ MORE 'If the Government were to call a national day of protest, making clear that it was a condemnation of atrocities in Gaza, not of Israel's right to self-determination or self-defence, the turnout would likely be enormous,' the letter said. In a post on his Instagram account on Saturday, Mr Harris shared the letter and said that the people of Ireland 'stand with the people of Palestine'. 'We stand for human rights, for international law, for a two state solution, for aid to flow, for hostages to be released. We stand for peace. We stand for an end to genocide,' Mr Harris said. 'The suggestion for a national day or moment of solidarity made by Michael Cush in the letter above is sensible and a good idea. It could be powerful if many countries did it together. I will now talk to colleagues on how to make this happen.' The World Food Programme (WFP) said this week that almost a third of people in Gaza are 'not eating for days', and that the crisis has reached 'new and astonishing levels of desperation'. The WFP, which is the United Nations food agency, said 90,000 women and children are now in urgent need of treatment for malnutrition. It also said 470,000 people are expected to face 'catastrophic hunger' between May and September this year.


Irish Times
13 hours ago
- Irish Times
Amazon is not the only multinational losing confidence in Ireland. Will a €102bn plan fix it?
This week we got a State investment plan with no list of projects and a pre-budget document with no estimate of the likely position of the public finances next year. Economic nerds like me felt short-changed. The first document was all uppy stuff about boosting investment and securing the future. The second doubled down on the scary backdrop provided by a changed world and the unpredictable actions of Donald Trump . The Government has clearly made a political decision to 'go for it' on State investment. But the document published this week was more a manifesto for the multinationals than a plan. It was a pitch to foreign investors, who have become increasingly outspoken about Ireland's energy and water infrastructure and the lack of housing for their staff . And it was a bid to try to allay public concern – on housing in particular. The head-wrecking details, including how to deliver it all – most notably in housing – are still being worked out. The decision by Amazon to abandon a project in northwest Dublin because of problems getting an electricity connection is by no means a first. There has been a building crisis of confidence in corporate headquarters in the US about Ireland's ability to deliver on these areas – and this week's plans are an attempt to send a message to these American boardrooms, who are central to our economic wellbeing. They will also look for evidence that Ireland can actually make this happen - reassurances over the years that the key infrastructure areas were being addressed have not been delivered on. READ MORE And so we have a €102 billion, five-year investment plan. It is, for sure, heading in the right direction. The Fiscal Council has estimated that Ireland's infrastructure is 20 per cent to 25 per cent behind other richer EU countries. In this context, the recent growth rate of the economy has been remarkable. But Ireland is now running hard into the infrastructural buffers. Turning this investment manifesto into a fully coherent plan and then implementing it will be a big task. Ireland has struggled to deliver on the scale of promised investment in recent years; Covid was factor, for sure, but the State missed opportunities to cash in on a time of fiscal plenty. Now, it plans to boost investment plans just as the outlook is getting uncertain. It is necessary – but it also carries some risk. It looks like a turning point may be approaching in the national finances, when more difficult decisions await and trade-offs have to be faced up to. The State has been swimming in cash in recent years – but the budget surplus is being eaten away. And this means some politically difficult choices, which have yet to be squarely faced. Corporate tax is still funding a spending rise across the board. The Government plans to increase current spending by almost 6.5 per cent next year, well ahead of inflation. However, the combination of a big investment plan and Donald Trump's policy decisions are changing Ireland's fiscal arithmetic. In the spring, the forecast budget surplus of revenue over spending for next year was €6.3 billion. And that was before any tariffs. This week's document does not update that figure. But on the basis of what we now know from this week's documents, economists have cut this forecast to around €2 billion. [ Taoiseach to 'delve into' Amazon's scrapping of Dublin plant over failure to secure power supply Opens in new window ] As Goodbody stockbroker economist Dermot O'Leary pointed out, this is a small margin for error in the light of the tariff threats and the hugely concentrated nature of our tax base. And the gamble is not so much that the State might have to borrow a bit for a few years to ramp up investment. It is that a bigger hole might appear, because such a large part of our corporate tax is potentially transitory – based on multinational tax planning rather than economic activity here – and that policy changes in the US could lead to some of this cash leaving. The Fiscal Council estimates that subtracting the tax planning froth, the public finances would be heading for a deficit next year of €13 billion. [ Corporation tax surge a sign investors have not been put off by economic uncertainty just yet Opens in new window ] Now we are, of course, into 'crying wolf' territory here. The council, Central Bank, Department of Finance and most of us who write about economics have been warning about this risk for years. In the meantime, the tax paid by multinationals has just kept heading higher. And this may not be over yet. The Fiscal Council has said that corporate tax may again outperform this year compared to forecasts, which could give the Government some leeway in 2026. But that does not remove the risk of hanging on to a tax pile which has grown so large than it has now attracted jealous eyes not only from the rest of the EU but from Washington DC. And the State investment plans lower the room for manoeuvre if something goes wrong. If you plan to spend another €34 billion over the next five years, it has to come from somewhere, and using an expected budget surplus each year to help pay is part of the plan. Already, there are signs of the budget scope tightening. We are seeing the potential juggling in Budget 2026, with the hospitality VAT rate possibly deferred until midyear to leave scope for an income tax package. But that is a bet that the cash will be there to pay for a full-year VAT cut in 2027. And this is really only budgetary small beer, if the Government is to really slow the growth of day-to-day spending to leave room for more State investment. If it does not, then any fall-off to corporate tax will leave tricky decisions. For example, the Government is committed to putting money into two State funds for the future. It is legally obliged to do so, though can stop if there is a downturn. But if the numbers do get tight, does the State borrow cash to then invest in these funds – which would look very strange? Or does it divert money from other cash holdings? Sitting watching will be the National Treasury Management Agency, which was set up to borrow on behalf of the State. It has had a quiet time on this front in recent years, with the budget in surplus and a requirement just to keep things ticking over and refinance maturing debt. Now, as the State finances tighten, it may soon be back in business.


Irish Times
14 hours ago
- Irish Times
‘It would be a waste': Little appetite in Sinn Féin for Mary Lou McDonald to run for president
There is little appetite among Sinn Féin for Mary Lou McDonald to run for president as party figures move closer to the idea of backing Catherine Connolly . Sinn Féin's Ard Chomhairle has not yet considered a report consulting the party's membership on its views, and the party will not make a formal decision until September. But a number of figures in the party neither believe nor support the idea that Ms McDonald would run. 'I don't want her in the Áras,' one said. 'It would be a waste.' 'I don't see a universe where she would run.' READ MORE A number of sources within Sinn Féin said they would favour keeping Ms McDonald in the Dáil to lead the party's ongoing bid to get into government. There is a view emerging that to have Ms McDonald run for president could be read as a concession that Sinn Féin was losing its ambition for the office of an taoiseach. Ms McDonald prompted speculation on her possible candidacy for the upcoming presidential election when she declined to rule herself out of the race earlier this month. It was a marked change in position for the leader of the Opposition, who had definitively said she would not be running for president in March. It is understood Ms McDonald's recent comments may have been a recognition of a desire for her to run among party supporters, who were recently consulted on their views. Sinn Féin remains nervous about presidential elections following a bruising run for its then MEP Liadh Ní Riada in the 2018 contest. Ms Ní Riada came fourth with a little more than 6 per cent of first-preference votes. Though Ms McDonald is recognised as a very strong candidate with a massive national profile, party figures are privately reluctant to put 'our best vote getter' up for what can be a bruising and unpredictable contest. There are anxieties within the party that anything less than an overwhelming win for Ms McDonald could feed a media narrative about a dip in Sinn Féin's electoral fortunes. Sinn Féin is generally relaxed about the question of its presidential candidacy and is content to wait until as late as September to make a decision. If Sinn Féin does not run its own candidate, it is likely to support the campaign of Independent TD Ms Connolly. [ Who is Catherine Connolly? The outspoken left-wing campaigner running for president Opens in new window ] Launching her campaign earlier this month, Ms Connolly said 'I think we're going to have united Ireland very soon' but it would not be 'immediate'. This was widely perceived within the party to have been for the benefit of Sinn Féin and an open effort on the part of Ms Connolly to court the party. Few Sinn Féin TDs could remember ever having heard Ms Connolly talk about reunification in her nearly ten years in the Dáil. The independent TD did support a recent Sinn Féin motion which proposed extending voting rights to Northern Ireland. Will Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin abstain from the presidential race? Listen | 40:42