Ninth Level Ireland

“Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if his Department is monitoring the debt levels of publicly funded universities and technological universities; the total amount and by each publicly funded university and technological university; the anticipated impact on levels of debt held by universities due to Covid-related disruption to the 2019-20 and 2020-21 academic years; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 14 October]

“New planned accommodation at Dublin City University has been postponed indefinitely due to the financial impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the university. A spokesperson for DCU said, ‘We are working towards delivering new on-campus accommodation but there is no specific date for the construction to begin’ …” (more)

[Tadgh McNally, TheJournal.ie, 27 July]

“These three documents provide detail on expenditure of hundreds of millions of euro by three universities in recent years. The UCD record is by far the largest and covers a lengthy period and some €319 million in expenditure by the college between November 2016 and March of this year …” (more)

[Ken Foxe, TheStory.ie, 24 July]

“Third-level colleges face a series of stringent penalties for misconduct including having funding withheld under the biggest shake-up to regulation of higher education in almost 50 years. The measures, to be announced by the Government in the coming days, have sparked controversy within some universities who fear the planned moves will undermine their long-standing autonomy …” (more)

[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 17 July]

“Trinity is searching for an Interim Chief Financial Officer with a salary of between €115,887 and €145,646 available to the successful candidate. Current Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Ian Mathews is expected to leave Trinity in the coming weeks to take on the role of Vice-Chancellor of Administrative and Financial Affairs at Abu Dhabi University from December 7 …” (more)

[Lauren Boland, Trinity News, 19 November]

“The Minister for Education says the HEA is liaising closely with Waterford IT and has agreed a financial plan to bring the institute back into a balanced budget. The audited accounts for 2015/16 show WIT has a significant accumulated deficit of €4.4m. The draft accounts for last year and projections for next year continue to show an operating deficit which will further impact on the institute …” (more)

[Liz Reddy, WLR FM, 16 November]

“With the CAO points published this week, many parents are preparing to send their children to third level for the first time. Along with the understandable parental pride, there’s equally understandable angst over the hefty expense involved. The expected cost of financing a third-level student living at home is now just over €5,000 a year …” (more)

[Irish Times, 22 August]

“An overwhelming majority of third level students fear having to drop out of college because of the cost of education in Ireland, according to a new survey. 87% of students surveyed by the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) said the cost of education, including fees, accommodation, transport food and other bills was such that they have feared having to drop out …” (more)

[Irish Times, 22 June]

“Sir, – As one who organised and ran a university access course for over 12 years, I believe that the greatest problem for students who suffer disadvantage in education is finance …” (more)

[Letters, Irish Times, 18 April]

“Every year for the guts of a decade, a back-to-school piece has appeared on the Pricewatch page, and every year we have highlighted how our ‘free’ education system costs parents hundreds of euro each year. Crested uniforms, high-priced books, bin-after-using workbooks, ‘voluntary’ contributions: the years roll on but the words never change …” (more)

[Conor Pope, Irish Times, 13 July]

“Cuts in career guidance at schools and delays in allocating student grants are leaving young people from low income families ‘locked out’ of third level education, the Society of Society of St Vincent de Paul (SVP) has warned …” (more)

[Joe Humphreys, Irish Times, 6 November]

“Since the 2008/09 financial crisis, the concept of ‘stress testing’ has assumed a much higher prominence in the business world. Right now, for instance, the European Banking Authority is supervising a new round of tests, with results to be announced this Autumn, to gauge resilience of banks to financial shocks …” (more)

[Dirk Jan van den Berg, Huffington Post, 10 July]

“As State support has been cut drastically – a fall of 25% in five years – students are increasingly situated as paying customers and the colleges as providers of a product …” (more)

[Fintan O’Toole, Irish Times, 19 April]

“Over the past number of years, Ireland’s universities have been dropping in various world rankings. Since the beginning of the recession, government funding for Ireland’s third-level sector has been cut a considerable amount …” (more)

[Aoife Mullen, The College View, 16 April]

“When governments run unsustainable budget deficits they can raise taxes or cut spending or do a combination of both. Which approach is best at any given time is one of the problems that seems to constantly occupy and divide the minds of economists …” (more)

[educationandstuff, 15 April]

“In the wake of the Grant Thornton report, I’ve decided to do a coherent series of posts on the third level sector. We all know the third level system is struggling but in many ways it is performing heroically in the face of totally unrealistic expectations …” (more)

[educationandstuff, 14 April]

“A consultant’s report released last week declared that third-level institutions needed to take a ‘more commercial approach’ if they are to survive. They needed to make savings, but they were also told they should be chasing that money-generating entity …” (more)

[Dick Ahlstrom, Irish Times, 14 April]

“A study described as the first ‘independent review of the financial health of third-level institutions’, makes for a depressing read for college staff and students alike. Carried out by Grant Thornton, a professional services network of independent accounting and consulting member firms …” (more)

[Fiona Gribben, University Times, 11 April]

“More than a century after it awarded its first degree, the National University of Ireland is moving into the virtual realm with plans for accrediting online education …” (more)

[Joe Humphreys, Irish Times, 11 April]

“… The GT report is done by a bunch of accountants, and it reflects that. As a picture of the state of play of finances in the Irish higher education system it’s unprecedented in its breadth and scope. They are to be congratulated. As a review of strategic options to fill the holes identified, it’s not so good …” (more)

[Brian M Lucey, 9 April]