Latest news with #studentfees
Khaleej Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Khaleej Times
How to save thousands on your school fees in the UAE
While most schools may not start for at least one month, invoices for student fees are already being sent out. Fees can start from around Dh9,000 a year and go up to Dh120,000 dirhams for the top international schools. If you have more than one child, then the cost shoots up. Many parents have been looking into options to reduce the financial burden. There are options available such as paying annual fees upfront (as opposed to by term) to earn a possible discount, looking for interest-free school loans or taking out a credit card that lets you earn cashback on school fees. 'It's no surprise many families are looking for ways to soften the blow, and cashback credit cards seem like an obvious solution,' says Mike Coady, CEO of Skybound Wealth Management. 'There is opportunity here, but only if you understand the rules of the game.' The catch There are many credit cards available that offer cashback on spending. But you need to make sure your credit card explicitly includes education payments in its cashback categories, or you may be disappointed when that generous reward fails to land. 'Not all credit cards treat school fee payments equally. Some banks classify them under education, others under government services or quasi-cash transactions, which may be excluded from cashback altogether. So read the fine print,' says Coady, who is also a financial adviser. 'Too many people assume that just because they used their card, they'll earn cashback. But unless the transaction codes align with your card's reward criteria, you could walk away with nothing.' Deals and limits Also look out for limits on the cashback you can earn. Most UAE cashback cards cap their rewards somewhere between 200 and 1,000 dirhams per month. The CBD Super Saver credit card offers a maximum of 10 per cent cashback a month but it needs to be spread across different spending categories (bills, education, supermarket and transport). The most you can earn for education fees is 150 dirhams cashback a month – 1,800 a year. The ADIB Cashback credit card pays 4 per cent cashback which includes education costs, but with a 300 dirham monthly cashback limit. That works out at a maximum cashback of 3,600 a year – one of the most generous deals around. Emirates Islamic Cashback Plus offers education-specific cashback rates but you will need to check the criteria. Rehaan Nensey has one child at Brighton College in Al Barsha and uses the CBD Super Saver card. 'I know it offers up to 10 per cent cashback but it is capped and depends on spend. But I'd say I have saved about Dh2,500 so far on school fees. A friend mentioned that the monthly option is generally available, but not all schools advertise it. Some other parents just split school fees across different cards.' So, your first step should be to ask the school if you can pay your fees monthly. Not all schools allow this, and those that do may charge administrative fees. Speak directly with the school bursar or finance team. It's also worth checking out cashback cards from Sharjah Islamic Bank, Ajman Bank and Emirates Islamic, although check their cashback limits on education spending. While FAB GEMS remains the only card with an exclusive, branded school partnership (with GEMS Education), and pays up to 4.25 per cent cashback. Watch the interest 'It's only a win if you're paying off your balance in full every month,' adds Coady. 'Otherwise, that 3 per cent cashback is quickly erased by 30 per cent interest.' It's also worth exploring zero per cent instalment plans on credit cards. Many UAE banks partner directly with schools to allow parents to split large payments over 3–12 months interest-free, a smart way to ease cash flow pressure, even if it doesn't earn cashback. Stuti Sri, the co-founder of says that Emirates NBD continues to provide zero per cent instalment plans of up to 24 months on education expenses through popular cards like Go4it Platinum and Manchester United. ADCB also offers zero per cent Easy Payment Plans for school fees via its Touchpoint and Lulu cards, which parents often use to break up large annual payments. 'RAKBANK, through its Skiply app, supports fee payments to over 300 schools and allows parents to pay using RAKBANK cards with 0 per cent instalments and no extra processing fee. Ajman Bank also offers zero per cent profit instalments on education payments above Dh1,000 without any processing fee at all,' she adds. According to research, Al Hilal Bank provides an Education Cash feature where up to 80 per cent of your credit limit can be transferred directly to the school with 0 per cent profit (a one-time fee applies). Standard Chartered and HSBC both offer school fees deals with zero per cent instalment plans.
Irish Times
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Trinity student contribution fee ‘the same' as last year despite €3,000 invoice controversy
Trinity College Dublin (TCD) has said its billing process for the coming academic year is 'the same' as last year, following controversy surrounding invoices charging €3,000 in student contribution fees. Third-level fees have been reduced to €2,000 as 'once-off' cost-of-living measures for the past three years. However, Minister for Higher Education James Lawless signalled late last month that the €1,000 reduction to fees would no longer apply after a Government decision that there would be no cost-of-living package in Budget 2026. The comment sparked backlash among students, unions and Opposition parties, particularly following a commitment in the programme for government to reduce the student contribution over its lifetime. READ MORE After TCD began to invoice students for the upcoming academic year, charging a student contribution of €3,000, several Opposition TDs, including Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald, expressed dismay on Wednesday. The invoice, seen by The Irish Times, also includes a charge of €209.75 for 'student levies and charges.' The invoice also states: 'Pay in one instalment.' Ms McDonald said on X: 'We're already seeing the result of Minister James Lawless' announcement that college fees will be hiked-up by €1,000,' adding that it will 'heap additional stress and pressure' on to students and their families. Ms McDonald called on the Government to 'sort it out fast.' 'Students and their parents need to be told clearly they won't be hit with this unfair hike,' she said. Social Democrats TD Jennifer Cummins said she was 'shocked' that TCD had billed students €3,000, saying, 'it's not good enough to put students and their families under this kind of pressure when the promise was a reduction in fees'. However, TCD spokeswoman said the billing process for the upcoming academic year is 'exactly the same as it was last year and the previous year'. In previous years, the university has billed €3,000 for student contribution fees as invoices were issued pre-budget. Students who have paid €3,000 in full before budget announcements in the past have been refunded €1,000. The spokeswoman said fees are due on September 1st as part of registration, but students are offered the option to pay in three instalments. 'The billing process in Trinity is the same this year as it was in prior years, both in terms of timing and amounts invoiced,' she said. Mr Lawless said he 'fully intends' to reduce the student contribution fee over the lifetime of the Government. He told the Dáil 'the one-off measures, while welcome, were temporary in nature. I am moving to permanent measures that will benefit families and students in the long run.'
BreakingNews.ie
09-07-2025
- Business
- BreakingNews.ie
Politics watch: Coalition tensions over student fees?
Here, we have a look at the issues likely to dominate political discourse in the week to come. Row over student fees Student fees are the main topic of discussion this week. Advertisement The student contribution fee has been temporarily reduced for the past three years as part of the 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. However, it is not clear whether fees will be reduced as part of the budget. The Government has come under pressure to clarify its plans for student fees after Minister for Higher Education James Lawless said student contribution fees will increase as there is no cost-of-living package in the upcoming budget. Advertisement Fine Gael TD Maeve O'Connell said: 'Reducing the cost of education and helping hard-pressed families is important to Fine Gael and our party. 'Now is not the time to row back on commitments made by the party during the last election and by this Government." A public criticism of a Coalition colleague is uncommon, and sources in Fine Gael were reported to be equally angry over the issue. Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tánaiste Simon Harris subsequently denied their was any rift at Cabinet, but consensus over the issue seems to be far from certain. Advertisement In any case, criticism from the Opposition has been loud. Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald accused the Government of 'ducking and diving' over the issue. She made the comments ahead of a Sinn Féin motion, calling for college fees to be reduced by €500 this September. Ms McDonald told the Dáil on Tuesday: 'Can the Taoiseach be straight with students and their parents? Can he tell them when they get their bill for their college fees in September how much they will be asked to pay? Will it be €2,000 or €3,000? Advertisement 'That is the very simple question that has been asked since the Minister, Deputy James Lawless, went on radio and stated that without a cost-of-living package, college fees would be hiked up by €1,000. 'That was nine days ago. While the Taoiseach has been away in Japan, we have had a parade of senior Government ministers in here, refusing to answer that very straightforward question. 'The Taoiseach and the Tánaiste have dodged answering it too. The Government is ducking and diving, oblivious that students are sitting down with their parents to make decisions about college now, today. 'A €1,000 hike in college fees is a lot of money for families." Advertisement Supermarket profits The Social Democrats are set to propose a motion for clarity on supermarket profits. The party claims shoppers have a right to know how much profit supermarkets are making, and change shops if they so wish. Presidential rumours Big names have been slow to emerge ahead of the election, but many are likely to set out their stall in the weeks to come given the election must take place by Tuesday, November 11th. Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald is the latest to be linked with a presidential bid. When asked if she was ruling herself out, Ms McDonald replied: "Well, we're in this process and we're not ruling anything in or anything out. "As and when we have news for you around our own process and procedure, and all the runners and riders. I've seen lots of people's names mentioned, so we're not making any comment definitively on any of them, myself included." Abroad In the UK, French president Emmanuel Macron is currently on an official state visit. He is negotiating with prime minister Keir Starmer over plans to reduce migrant small boayt crossings across the English Channel. In the US, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is on a visit where he is engaged in talks with president Donald Trump. However, hopes of a Gaza ceasefire plan are yet to materialise. Meanwhile, Mr Trump's fallout with his former billionaire backer Elon Musk is continuing in dramatic fashion. The Tesla and SpaceX chief executive has threatened to form a third US political party, the 'America Party' .
Irish Times
09-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Student fee increase an ‘additional strain' for those with multiple children in college
'I will be struggling to find the extra €2,000,' one parent told The Irish Times, worried about the prospect of footing an increase in third-level fees next year. Third-level fees were reduced to €2,000 as a once-off cost-of-living measure three years ago, and this was rolled over for two further years. Minister for Further and Higher Education James Lawless recently said on RTÉ radio that without a cost-of-living package in the budget, fees would have to increase again to €3,000 'as things stand'. Ahead of an organised protest against the proposed return to annual student contributions of €3,000, which took place outside Leinster House on Tuesday evening, parent Frances Cody shared her concerns. READ MORE Having budgeted for fees amounting to €2,000 per child this September, Ms Cody says the rise will be a 'double whammy' for her family who have two children in higher education. 'The reduction to college fees has been a blessing and we now rely on this. If the college fees return to €3,000 a year I will be struggling to find the extra €2,000 I will need next year and a further €1,000 the year after. I can't just magically come up with this money.' Ms Cody said there is an 'additional strain' placed on families like her own who experience an 'overlap' in funding college expenses. For many, this increase in student fees will represent more than €1,000, with this figure doubling or even tripling for some. Bryan O'Mahony, AMLÉ president, at a protest at Leinster House over increases in student fees. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill/The Irish Times 'Every penny that comes into this household is accounted for,' she says, adding that 'there is no nest egg' to cover car breakdowns, doctors' bills, or other unexpected additional expenses. 'When my car broke down a month ago I had to pay for it with a Visa card that I have no way of clearing.' Her daughters attend UCD, where they are studying medicine and actuarial science. Both have commuted from their home in Redcross, Co Wicklow, through college – a journey which takes them more than an hour and a half each way. This means leaving at 5.30am 'to beat traffic'. Ms Cody is a teacher, and her husband works 'seven days a week' as a taxi driver to fund their eldest daughter's accommodation near UCD. Her daughter has recently started renting so she can attend hospital placements, after spending the first four years of her medicine degree commuting. A reduction in college fees over the last three years is 'the one concession from the Government that my family benefits from,' Ms Cody says. Education can come at a personal cost to parents and children alike, with financial pressure negatively impacting mental and physical health. 'My husband has health issues associated with stress and spending long days in a vehicle.' He had a heart attack aged 45. 'And my eldest worries about every penny she spends.' Speaking at Tuesday's protest, Bryan O'Mahony, president of Aontas na Mac Léinn in Éirinn (AMLÉ), said the €1,000 reduction in student contribution fees 'was not just a relief, it was not just a gift, it was a lifeline for students'. He called the fees-increase decision 'calculated' and 'a betrayal by our Government'. 'We are not here today for handouts. We are not here for gifts. We are here for fairness. We are here for basic respects.' Seán Thim O'Leary, president of Trinity College Dublin Students' Union, said the proposed increase in fees 'has come out of nowhere'. 'It's come at a time when so many students are already weighing up whether or not they can continue in higher education.' Prostesters at a demonstration, organised by the Labour Party, over an increase in student fees. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill/The Irish Times Aaron Duke, a history and politics student at University College Dublin, feels it is 'naive' to be surprised about the potential fee increase. 'It was kind of very obvious that this was going to be the case. They're very unwilling to spend money on the things that actually matters to working people or people who are struggling with the cost of living, which includes a high majority of students.' Cian McGrath, students' union president at Munster Technological University's Kerry campus, said: 'it's an absolute disgrace that they would even think about adding a thousand euro on for us to pay.' He said that the price of being a student in Kerry has 'just gone through the roof'. 'That's only in Kerry, you can imagine what it's like in Cork, Dublin, Limerick, Galway, it must be ridiculous elsewhere in the country if things are so bad in Kerry.' Hazen E Griffin, campaigns and engagement officer at University College Dublin students' union, called the potential increase 'shameful'. 'We have tons of students who might not be able to afford this and it's deeply damaging, especially in a cost-of-living crisis.'
BreakingNews.ie
08-07-2025
- Politics
- BreakingNews.ie
College fees: Protesting students say Government putting ‘undue financial burden' on them
Students and opposition politicians have staged a protest outside Leinster House, calling for more clarity on the rate of fees they will be paying. The protest was organised ahead of a Sinn Féin motion in the Dail, calling for college fees to be reduced by €500 this September. Advertisement It comes amid a row and confusion on whether the Budget will include measures on student fees. The student contribution fee has been temporarily reduced for the past three years as part of the 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 euro per academic year. However, it is not clear whether fees will be reduced as part of the Budget. Advertisement The Government has come under pressure to clarify its plans for student fees after Higher Education Minister James Lawless said that student contribution fees will increase as there is no cost-of-living package in the upcoming Budget. He said that fees will have to be reset, which means they will revert to the same level as previous years. Among the protesters, University College Cork Students Union President Alex Angland recalled a similar protest against €3,000 fees four years ago. 'They were then and still are now the highest fees in the EU. The average across the EU is €700, less than a quarter of what we are paying. Advertisement 'As the cost of living continues to increase, students are being pushed towards a breaking point.' He added: 'Education is right, not a privilege, yet the Government continues to place undue financial burden on students and their families.' After nine days of asking, government still refuse to tell students how much they will have to pay in fees this year – @MaryLouMcDonald — Sinn Féin (@sinnfeinireland) July 8, 2025 Earlier, Taoiseach Micheal Martin defended the Government's stance on student fees, saying there are 'lots of instruments' to help students make college more affordable. Mr Martin said the Government will look at a range of supports, including fees, as part of the Budget. Advertisement He was responding to Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald, who accused the Government of 'ducking and diving' over the issue. Ms McDonald told the Dáil on Tuesday: 'Can the Taoiseach be straight with students and their parents? Can he tell them when they get their bill for their college fees in September how much they will be asked to pay? Will it be €2,000 or €3,000? 'That is the very simple question that has been asked since the Minister, Deputy James Lawless, went on radio and stated that without a cost-of-living package, college fees would be hiked up by €1,000. 'That was nine days ago. While the Taoiseach has been away in Japan, we have had a parade of senior Government ministers in here, refusing to answer that very straightforward question. Advertisement 'The Taoiseach and the Tanaiste have dodged answering it too. The Government is ducking and diving, oblivious that students are sitting down with their parents to make decisions about college now, today. 'A 1,000-euro hike in college fees is a lot of money for families. 'We must remember that it is €1,000 per student, so, if you have two or three in college, it is a big whack. 'We have been inundated with messages from stressed-out students and their parents.' She said that families have budgeted and made decisions based on a 'clear commitment' that college fees would not be increased. Mr Martin said: 'This time last year was exactly the same position because the previous year had not provided estimates for the reduction of €1,000 that happened last year. 'It was exactly the same position and actually Sinn Féin had a motion down this time last year as well doing the exact same thing. 'There is an estimates process and there will be a budget. We will look at the full range of supports, including fees. 'We will look at student supports and stronger supports for students with disabilities. Ireland Taoiseach defends stance on college fees amid fear... Read More 'We will look for stronger supports for children from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, and we will look at progression into third level from different areas, and into postgraduate and research. 'There is a significant menu, and lots of instruments with which we can help students, particularly those on middle and lower incomes to make college more affordable. 'It is across the full gamut of instruments we have or provisions we can make in the Budget.'
