Ninth Level Ireland

“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]

“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]

“Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his position on the future funding of third level education; if student loans will be ruled out as a means of raising funding for the sector; the details of the recent application to the European Commission to carry out a detailed economic analysis of third level education funding here; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 29 January]

“Controversial proposals for a student loan scheme to fund third-level education are being referred by the Government to the European Commission for detailed economic analysis. The move is set to push back any decision on a future funding model for higher education by at least a year …” (more)

[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 19 January]

“Graduates here overpaid nearly £8m in student loans in five years. Overpayments have been rising steadily, with thousands of people affected, figures show. A student organisation said it was ‘deeply troubling’ …” (more)

[Allan Preston, Belfast Telegraph, 29 December]

“Labour Party Education spokesperson, Senator Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, has said that the new Minister for Education, Joe McHugh, needs to rule out student loan schemes. Senator Ó Ríordáin said: ‘The Government has been sitting on the report carried out by Peter Cassells into the future of higher education funding for months now. Three options were laid on the table, one of which is publicly funded higher education. The onus is on Ministers McHugh and Mitchell O’Connor to get the ball rolling on this extremely important issue …'” (more)

[The Labour Party, 15 October]

“Less than 18 months ago, Ned Costello, the then-CEO of the Irish Universities Association (IUA), told The University Times that a student loan scheme was the best solution to the higher education sector’s intractable funding problem. The heads of each of the seven universities were unanimous on the issue – and, as the representative body of Ireland’s universities, it was up to the IUA to see that it be implemented …” (more)

[University Times, 9 September]

“A university president has called for a radical new approach to third-level funding that would limit the number of students paid for by the State, while others, who could afford it, would be liable for full fees. Professor Brian MacCraith of Dublin City University (DCU) said there were ‘people who can afford to go to university, in the same way as they can afford to pay for private schools’ …” (more)

[Katherine Donnelly, Independent, 7 September]

“Universities will no longer lobby the government to introduce a student loan scheme, marking a complete U-turn in their approach to the higher education funding crisis. In an interview with The University Times, the head of the Irish Universities Association (IUA), Jim Miley, said that universities are becoming ‘agnostic on loans’ …” (more)

[Eleanor O’Mahony, University Times, 6 September]

“Northern Ireland’s outstanding student debt stands at almost £3.3bn. The total tuition fee and maintenance loan debt has risen 10% since last year when it stood at just under £3bn. Only about one in six people in Northern Ireland have fully repaid their student loans …” (more)

[Robbie Meredith, BBC News, 15 June]

“Having large student loan debts leads to lower job satisfaction, harms people’s physical and mental health and affects their lifelong finances, a study has found. Such debts are more likely to make people delay buying a home and to mean that when they do take out a mortgage, they buy lower-value properties, the researchers say …” (more)

[Jane Dalton, Independent, 11 June]

“The debate on student loans reignited after startling university rankings showed Ireland can no longer claim a top 100 spot worldwide. Employers called for urgent Government action on funding for third-level education, including higher student fees linked to a loan system …” (more)

[Katherine Donnelly, Independent, 8 June]

“Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when a decision will issue regarding the introduction of income contingent loans for third level education; the issues regarding student debt and the resulting barriers to education for persons from disadvantaged backgrounds that will be taken into account, which is the case in other jurisdictions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22437/18] …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 22 May]

“I’m a parent of a student that’s due to go to third level. We don’t qualify for grants, but the €3,000 fee is a very big burden. Is there any chance of a loan scheme being introduced to replace fees? Recommendations to introduce an income-contingent loan scheme for higher education – outlined as one of a number of options in the Cassells report – are dead in the water, awaiting a decent burial …” (more)

[Brian Mooney, Irish Times, 22 May]

“Irish students in the UK won’t have to pay higher ‘international’ fees and will still be able to access student loans after Brexit. British government minister Sam Gyimah told a high-level conference in London he is committed to maintaining rights of Irish students to access higher and further education on equal terms with UK nationals …” (more)

[Katherine Donnelly, Independent, 11 May]

“The introduction of a State student loans scheme is ‘off the table’ for the lifetime of the current Government. The Union of Students in Ireland said it ‘cautiously’ welcomes a statement from the Minister of State for Higher Education, Mary Mitchell O’Connor, that the issue of student loans is ‘off the table’ while the current Government is in office …” (more)

[Aine McMahon, Irish Times, 27 April]

“It’s beginning to look highly unlikely that a decision on third-level funding will be made before the next general election. An economic analysis of the three options set out by the Cassells report, requested by the committee and carried out by the Department of Education, will now take place, the Irish Times reported this week. In the words of Richard Bruton, ‘it is not possible at this stage to give a timescale for its completion’ …” (more)

[University Times, 15 April]

“Labour Party Education spokesperson, Senator Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, has said that the Minister for Education, Richard Bruton, needs to rule out student loan schemes. Senator Ó Ríordáin said: ‘The Government has been sitting on the report carried out by Peter Cassells into the future of higher education funding for months now. Three options were laid on the table, one of which is publicly funded higher education. The onus is on Ministers Bruton and Mitchell O’Connor to get the ball rolling on this extremely important issue …” (more)

[The Labour Party, 12 April]

“Student loans are off the agenda for the lifetime of this Government, at least, as the hot political potato of who should bear the cost of paying for third-level is put on the long finger. There is also no prospect of a major increase in State funding for the third-level sector, which would be an alternative to asking students to pay higher fees through a loan scheme …” (more)

[Katherine Donnelly, Independent, 12 April]