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BreakingNews.ie
10-07-2025
- Politics
- BreakingNews.ie
Mother of three facing €9k student contribution fees this year
"There will be families around kitchen tables all over the country now discussing how they can afford to send their kids to college," said a mother of three who is facing Student Contribution Fees of €9,000 for her three children this year. Nicola Kearns from Ratoath, Co Meath believes the Government has reneged on their election promises and the Programme for Government by reinstating the €1000 fee they reduced in college fees as part of cost of living packages in recent years. Advertisement The one-third reduction meant parents paid €2,000 a year in student contribution fees but are now facing the possibility of forking out the full €3,000 per student again for the coming academic year. The government mooted the fee hike last week but then said no decision would be made until budget talks in October. The stay-at-home mother of three says the uncertainty of not knowing is compounding the stress for thousands of families. "We were told there would be a hike in fees and then we were told that no decision would be made until the budget in October. They are ruling nothing in or nothing out and are kicking the can down the road and by suggesting that we don't have to pay in one lump sum is no consolation to families," she said. Advertisement "I believe this is the most insulting part of it for parents." "Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael made pre-election promises to keep the Student Contribution Fee at €2,000 and then they signed off on the Programme for Government in January which agreed to reduce the fees over the lifetime of the government with a pathway to complete abolition." Nicola's one income family is now facing a bill of €9,000 in contribution fees alone to send their children to college this year. "I have three children. My eldest is going into third year and although he is doing an internship this year and won't set foot in college, we will still have to pay the full student contribution fee." Advertisement "My other son is returning to third year in college studying Economics, Politics and Law and my daughter is hoping to get a place on a course in DCU but is likely to get offered a place at a third level college in Carlow, meaning we will face additional accommodation, transport and living costs as well." "So the last few years, we have paid €4,000 for the Student Contribution Fee but this is now likely to rise to €9,000, that's a substantial amount of money we will have to find. And the budget is not until October but yet, many colleges want payment in September, so parents haven't the luxury of tapping their fingers and waiting to see will they or won't they (govt) retain the fee reduction by the end of October" "Some colleges ask for one-third up front, some want half the fee and others divide it into a number of monthly payments." It has been reported that one college -Trinity College in Dublin has already sent out invoices for €3,000 student levies and charges to be paid by September. Advertisement "And obviously there are a plethora of other expenses to be paid on top of this such as accommodation, transport and food. Nicola highlighted that last year, Ireland had the largest surplus budget in the history of the State at €25.4 billion "The €1000 fee reduction benefited about 96,000 students and this payment cost the Exchequer less than half of one per cent - a relatively small outlay for the government but one which made a big difference to students and their families. "Yes there is the SUSI grant scheme but that is very hard to qualify for and only benefits about 50% of third level students. Advertisement "Students from Ukraine and the IPAS centres get their contribution and tuition fees waived in addition to getting a monthly stipend of over €1000. I've no issue with students getting the supports they need but it needs to be a level playing field for all. "Yet again, it's he squeezed middle, like us, who are overlooked, pay our taxes, work hard and yet have to carry the can for everything." "There will be parents and students looking at CAO offers in August and potentially making decisions about courses and colleges whilst worrying about how they are going to afford the registration fees. "I think the government would be wise to consider the fact that these students have now come of age and will be voting at the next election. I believe increasing this fee will be a monumental own goal for the government." "Government leaders and ministers talk about fees coming down in the lifetime of the government but they need to realise that families exist in the here and now. They are struggling to balance household budgets weekly and monthly as the cost of living crisis persists and not abates, despite what you would think by this proposed move."
BreakingNews.ie
03-07-2025
- Politics
- BreakingNews.ie
Government urged to ‘get its act together' over third-level fees plan
The Government has been urged to 'get its act together' and level with parents and students on how much college fees will be in the new academic year. Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe became the latest minister to refuse to confirm Government plans over third-level fees. Advertisement The student contribution fee has been temporarily reduced for the past three years as part of cost-of-living packages accompanying the budget. The fees had been €3,000 before being temporarily cut by €1,000, saving families with multiple children at third level thousands of euros per academic year. Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore told the Dail that students and families have been 'led down the garden path' by the Government and they are 'absolutely sick of its games'. Earlier this week, Higher Education Minister James Lawless said that student contribution fees will increase as there is no cost-of-living package to pay for what were temporary reductions introduced amid an inflation crisis. Advertisement He said that fees will have to be reset, which means they will revert to the same level as previous years. He added that 'all of us in any walk of life have to play the hands we're dealt'. Ms Whitmore described these comments as 'utterly galling and incredibly tone deaf'. 'When will the Government get its act together and level with parents and students?' the Wicklow TD added. Advertisement 'It has been five days since the higher education minister took to the airways and dropped the bombshell that parents and students will have to find another €1,000 to fund college before September. 'He did not try to sugarcoat that news – it was quite the opposite. A member of Government actively stacking the deck against students and families, essentially telling them to suck it up – that is what he said – and play the bum hand they have been dealt.' Sinn Féin TD Matt Carthy said the minister 'clearly stated' that without a cost-of-living package in October's budget, college fees will rise by €1,000. This, he said, was backed up by Taoiseach Micheál Martin. Advertisement 'Let us clear up this mess today,' he urged Mr Donohoe. 'I have just one simple question for the minister and it is the same question that has been anxiously asked at kitchen tables all over the country. 'When students get their bill in September, how much will they be asked to pay? Will it be €2,000 or €3,000? 'Students and their families need an answer to that question today. It is the only question I have for the minister.' Advertisement Mr Donohoe answered by outlining the supports available to students. He said that one in three students do not pay a student contribution. He told the Dáil that half of students use the SUSI scheme, and that households with an income of up to 64,000 euro do not pay a student contribution. The Fine Gael minister added: 'Budget by budget, we make changes we believe are affordable which recognise the challenges there. 'That is why we will do what we normally do in the approaching budget. We will put in place measures, including those to deal with the cost of becoming a student and the challenge many families face, we know are affordable, can be funded and can be built upon in the years ahead. 'The minister, deputy Lawless, myself and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, deputy (Jack) Chambers, are clear on what that objective is. 'We are clear that temporary measures in place when inflation was high need to be looked at as well as how we can put in place other measures that can make a difference to something we know is an acute difficulty for many and those who are already receiving needed supports.'
BreakingNews.ie
03-07-2025
- Business
- BreakingNews.ie
No decision on level of college fees yet, Paschal Donohoe says
The Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe has said the government has not yet decided what the level of college fees will be. It was a standard decision that was made in the Budget every year and it remained unclear what was going to happen. Advertisement 'We'll be deciding if it goes back from €2,000, it is currently €2,000. Before it's a temporary deduction in place, that would make it €3,000, but the government has to decide what that level of fees will be and haven't done it because we haven't done the budgets,' he told Newstalk's Pat Kenny show. 'This is a standard budget decision that we make every year and you could ask me what the decision would be in relation to social welfare, in relation taxation and the answer would be the same that we decide all these things on Budget Day.' 'The programme for government makes clear that budget by budget we want to make student life more affordable for students and for parents. "So that budget, each budget will contain measures to help that but what we can't do and won't be doing is having an additional budget on top of that with one-off measures. Advertisement "We have to move to a more normal budgetary cycle that we've been in every other year except for the last few years where we make decisions on budget day about measures that are going to be permanent, that we're confident that we can afford. And we will engage in that process now.'
Irish Times
02-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Coalition sharply divided over third-level fees
The Coalition remains sharply divided on the issue of college fees after Opposition parties united in anger at recent suggestions from Fianna Fáil Minister for Further and Higher Education James Lawless that the student contribution could increase by as much as €1,000 next year. Fine Gael was privately seething at the controversy, with party sources saying their TDs had received a barrage of representations from concerned parents and students, while radio shows and social media channels were also full of opposition to the measure. One party source said there had been 'panic' following Mr Lawless's suggestions, pointing to 'two days on Liveline' and also how the issue dominated Leaders' Questions in the Dáil . Fine Gael backbencher Willie Aird said very few students have parents 'with deep pockets who can come up with this €1,000'. READ MORE 'I'm pleading with ye today not to go ahead with this,' he said in the Dáil. Fianna Fáil sources insisted it was Mr Lawless's responsibility to set his own budgetary priorities in the Department of Further and Higher Education, and blamed Fine Gael for overreacting to his comments. The Government had decided not to include any cost-of-living package in the next budget, sources said, and Ministers would have to decide how to manage that in their own departments. They pointed out the commitment to reduce the student contribution fee in the programme for Government had to be done 'in a financially sustainable manner'. One senior Fianna Fáil source also insisted that more than half of all students already receive a full or partial subsidy of their student contribution fee, adding that the income threshold for fee supports this year is at an 'historic high at €115,000'. 'It is important to target those most in need,' the source said. 'Families that need more will get more.' On a visit to Japan, Taoiseach Micheál Martin sought to avoid being dragged into the row, saying the issue of student fees would be part of negotiations between individual Ministers and the Minister for Public Expenditure. 'There's a broad range of priorities there. So it'll all go forward to negotiations,' Mr Martin said. At home, Tánaiste Simon Harris also sought to avoid escalating the row in public, suggesting that some assistance to students would be included, on a permanent basis, in the budget. Mr Harris said parents of college students should pay fees in instalments and 'see where the budget brings us'. The controversy arose after Mr Lawless said on Sunday that because the Government had decided there would be no cost-of-living package in this year's budget, the €1,000 reduction to fees of €3,000, which was a part of recent budgets, would no longer apply – suggesting an effective €1,000 increase for many students. The fees issue – always incendiary in Irish politics – dominated exchanges in the Dáil. Sinn Féin finance spokesman Pearse Doherty said 'sending a kid to college is already costing families an arm and a leg' and 'hitting them with an extra €1,000 will make going to college impossible for many, and no wonder young people are leaving this country in their droves'. Acting Social Democrats leader Cian O'Callaghan said the Government 'promised to reduce student fees, you are now breaking those promises that you have made'. The row between the Government parties comes amid a backdrop of funding shortages for the third-level sector. A funding gap of €307 million was identified by the government in 2022. Privately, many in higher education circles say badly-needed funds have been diverted into measures aimed at cutting college fees instead. In last October's budget, however, the Government pledged to increase core funding, rising from €50 million in 2025 to €150 million extra by 2029.
