Ninth Level Ireland

“As a Commerce student, the prospect of going on a year-long paid internship during my studies was one of the reasons I was drawn to doing this course in UCD. Adding an extra year to my college years, gaining invaluable experience in an industry-leading company, strengthening my CV and making money whilst doing so seemed too good to be true. Alas, it was; in 1st year, having read the small print, I learned that students have to pay UCD their student fees during the internship period …” (more)

[Alex Lohier, College Tribune, 1 May]

“Trinity College Dublin is the latest Irish university to offer free fees and other supports to students living in direct provision to help them pursue third-level education. The university’s academic council has approved four four-year scholarships, for each of the next four years, for asylum seekers and refugees …” (more)

[Katherine Donnelly, Independent, 11 April]

“Further increases to student fees or the introduction of a student loan scheme have been ruled out, the Irish Examiner can reveal. In a ‘highly significant’ development, the Government has rejected two of three recommendations contained in a 2016 report into how a gaping hole in third-level funding is to be filled …” (more)

[Daniel McConnell, Irish Examiner, 27 March]

“At €3,000 Ireland will have the highest university fees in the EU after Brexit. That is according to the Union of Students in Ireland ahead of a protest today at Dublin’s Trinity College. Third level students and staff will call on the government to respond to the growing crisis in higher education funding …” (more)

[Irish Examiner, 21 March]

“The presidents of all third-level students’ unions as well as the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) have come together to call for protests to demand increased funding for colleges in Ireland in an open letter …” (more)

[Ross Malervy, University Times, 11 March]

“Sir, – We are representatives of the students across Ireland – students keen to gain skills and qualifications and play our part in building Ireland’s future. The proposal of any kind of student loan scheme in Ireland is wholly unacceptable and is widely understood as an inequitable way to fund education, as well as having been consistently shown to be a failure when implemented in the UK and Australia and contributing to significant deficits in the public purse …” (more)

[Síona Cahill and 27 others, Irish Times, 11 March]

“The Government is giving a long-term commitment that, after Brexit, UK students studying in the Republic will continue to be treated as if they were in the EU and will not have to pay higher fees. Until now, the guarantee extended only to students from Northern Ireland and Britain starting a third-level course in the Republic in September 2019, with a promise of review in the context of a wider Brexit agreement …” (more)

[Katherine Donnelly, Independent, 7 March]

“Students from Northern Ireland and Britain will face the same higher education fees as EU students on an ongoing basis in the event of a hard Brexit. While the Government has previously pledged to freeze fees for UK students starting undergraduate courses in 2019 only, an amendment to the Brexit Omnibus Bill would maintain this system indefinitely …” (more)

[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 7 March]

“Irish students who want to study in the UK after Brexit, or UK students who want to attend third-level here, have certainty about continuation of the current fees regime for the duration of their studies if they start this September. Nor will there be any change to student grants, and Irish students in the UK will also be able to access student loans there …” (more)

[Independent, 6 March]

“Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if the issues faced by pharmacy students who will now have enormous tuition fees for the fifth year of their course will be addressed; his views on whether the changes will result in students not pursuing studies in pharmacy in the future for purely financial reasons; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 5 February]

“Many students will be familiar with the process of applying for a grant from Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI). It is a long process which demands attention and various details of the student and their families finances. Many students find it a confusing process. Although, not just for students it seems …” (more)

[Taidgh Beahan, The College View, 6 February]

“The six-year route to qualifying as a second-level teacher is a long, winding and expensive road. As Ireland reaches full employment with access to quality jobs after a four-year degree programme in many disciplines, the length of teacher training with its associated costs is becoming a disincentive to entering the profession, according to experts …” (more)

[Aine McMahon, Irish Times, 5 January]

“The Union Students of Ireland have come out in support of Pharmacy Students and upcoming changes to their programs. These changes under the new integrated Pharmacy programme means that students will be required to pay increased fees and participated in greater levels of unpaid placements as a result of a ban in place by the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI) in paying for student labour …” (more)

[Aaron Bowman, College Tribune, 30 January]

“Academic Registry, according to its website, ‘is responsible for services that support the complete student lifecycle of Trinity College Dublin – from application to graduation’. As such, it is the College unit in charge of things like registration, exams and fees …” (more)

[University Times, 21 January]

“Pharmacy students from all over the country, backed by the Union of Students in Ireland (USI), will rally at the Dáil next week in protest at fee increases and unpaid work placement. The protest, which takes place on January 24th, is being organised by USI in conjunction with the Irish Pharmaceutical Students Association …” (more)

[Aisling Marren, University Times, 18 January]

“Jack Power, Irish Times reporter, discusses the news that Trinity College Dublin is hoping to recover €1.7m after 509 students were undercharged registration fees over the past three years” (podcast).

[RTÉ – Drivetime, 17 January]

“An administrative oversight led to Trinity College Dublin undercharging students €1.7 million in university fees, which the college is now looking to recover. In total 509 students were undercharged registration fees over the past three years, with some students and recent graduates now owing the university as much as €9,000 …” (more)

[Jack Power, Irish Times, 16 January]

“Some Trinity students and graduates are faced with paying outstanding fees from previous years, due to administrative confusion over the SUSI grant. Over the past three years, students whose grants fell short of what they expected were never charged for the remainder of their fees …” (more)

[Eleanor O’Mahony, University Times, 15 January]

“The Government is hopeful that students will be able to study north and south of the Border without incurring hikes in student fees in the event of a hard Brexit. About 1,200 students from the North attend colleges in the Republic, while more than 2,000 students from the Republic attend colleges in Northern Ireland …” (more)

[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 3 January]

“The Irish government is considering a grant scheme for Northern Ireland students applying to universities in the Republic, to avoid fee hikes post-Brexit. A-level students in Northern Ireland say they have been left in limbo over whether they will have to pay non-EU student fees after the UK leaves the EU in March, a factor that could heavily determine where they choose to attend university …” (more)

[Belfast Telegraph, 3 January]