ÌÇÐÄVlog

Irish students have decried government plans to end a cost of living initiative that reduced yearly fees by €1,000 (?860), fearing the effective increase could prevent some from starting or completing their degree.

Most full-time undergraduate students residing in the European Economic Area, Switzerland or the UK do not have to pay tuition fees under Ireland¡¯s free fees initiative, and instead must pay a yearly ¡°student contribution¡± to their institution of up to €3,000.

In the academic year 2022-23,?the government contributed €1,000?towards each student¡¯s fees as part of a broader cost of living package, in effect reducing the student contribution to €2,000. While this was described as a ¡°one-off measure¡±, the initiative was repeated in the following two academic years.

?this week, however, further and higher education minister James Lawless said that while the government hadn¡¯t ¡°entered budget discussions in earnest yet¡±, there were ¡°indications¡± that there would be no cost of living package in the 2026 budget, meaning the student contribution would return to €3,000 for the upcoming academic year.

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¡°All of us in any walk of life have to play the hands we¡¯re dealt,¡± Lawless said. ¡°If I don¡¯t have a cost of living package, I can¡¯t do those kind of measures that were done last year.¡± Aontas na Mac L¨¦inn in ?irinn (AML?), the national representative body for Irish students, called the move a ¡°calculated betrayal¡±.

¡°It seems like the government have decided that the cost of living crisis is over for students, and I can tell you for certain it¡¯s not,¡± Maisie Hall, president of the University of Galway Students¡¯ Union, told?ÌÇÐÄVlog.

A recent survey of Galway students found that 49 per cent struggled to pay rent, half had part-time jobs in order to support themselves and 56 per cent of those with jobs said it negatively impacted their university education.

¡°At this point of the year, many students and their families will have planned around the €2,000 fee, and to have to scrape together another €1,000 will certainly pose a challenge,¡± Hall said. ¡°For many students, this will be the difference between them receiving or not receiving third-level education.¡±

Se¨¢n Thim, president of the Trinity College Dublin Students¡¯ Union, said the fee reductions in previous years ¡°took an enormous amount of pressure off¡±, adding that they ¡°gave students breathing room to avoid homelessness, to avoid skipping meals, and gave students the opportunity to live near to college and forgo hours of commuting each day¡±.

Calling for ¡°urgent and meaningful reform¡± of Ireland¡¯s student grant system SUSI, Thim said: ¡°This increase particularly targets financially disadvantaged students. It will further put strain on financial supports and bursaries which already face high uptake, and most tragically of all, it will force students who can¡¯t afford the fee hike out of higher education. This fee hike hurts those with the least the most.¡±

emily.dixon@timeshighereducation.com