As Budget 2025 approaches, those in third-level education have made clear what they want to come from it.
The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) has said there is a "significant opportunity" in Budget 2025 for the Government to finally address the serious challenges facing third-level students.
The USI is calling on the Government to reduce fees by €1,500 now and to introduce a plan to abolish fees entirely over the next few years.
The Irish Times has reported that Fine Gael Minister for Higher Education Patrick O'Donovan wants to continue the "momentum" of third-level student fee reductions brought in by his predecessor in the role, Taoiseach Simon Harris.
Mr O'Donovan is set to look for a further €500 cut to third-level fees to build on the €1,000 reduction already in place, which would halve the fee to €1,500 from its former level of €3,000.
Budget 2025 will be delivered by Minister for Finance Jack Chambers on Tuesday, October 1st.
'Severe shortage' of accommodation
USI president Chris Clifford has said the "severe shortage" of accessible and affordable accommodation has left many students in a "constant state of anxiety", forcing them to choose between pursuing their education and securing basic living conditions.
"The cost of travel, particularly for those who must commute long distances, increases these difficulties, while the burden of high fees also continues to act as a significant barrier for many," he said.
“Access to education should not be limited to those who can afford it. Every person has a right to an education, but the higher education sector is becoming increasingly exclusionary as financial struggles force some to make the heartbreaking decision to abandon their education altogether.
"USI is calling on the Government to make provision in Budget 2025 to properly address the student financial crisis and make going to college a realistic aim for every young person in Ireland.”
The USI is asking that the Government funds the building of the 30,000-bed shortfall in student accommodation in Budget 2025.
A recent survey carried out by University College Cork (UCC) Students' Union found that 86 per cent of student renters experienced a rent increase in 2022/23 and are cutting back on essential items such as healthcare (29 per cent), food (27 per cent), and sanitary products (10 per cent).
"The housing crisis has transformed the search for student accommodation into an overwhelming ordeal, with many students faced with substandard living conditions of being pushed to travel unsustainable distances," Clifford said.
While there have been announcements of new developments at Dublin City University (DCU), Maynooth and University College Dublin (UCD), the USI said the colleges have yet to commence these builds and instead choose to re-announce the same beds on "multiple occasions".
"A proportion of these new rooms being built have been promised to be “affordable”, yet the government has yet to define what “affordable” means and how much these rooms will cost."
The USI said too many students are relying on digs or living with a host family, which provides no legal protections.
"This means they can be thrown out at an hour's notice and have no rights to use the facilities in the house. In the short-term, the Government must introduce legislation to protect those students and ensure digs are only a short-term solution until affordable purpose-built student accommodation is built," the USI said.
Public transport
The USI is also calling for free public transport for students, costing around €200 million.
Kyla Henry, the vice president of student life and deputy president of Maynooth Student's Union (MSU), said commuting students are suffering negative impacts on their mental health and energy levels.
According to a recent survey carried out by MSU, 70 per cent of the college's students commute, but Henry highlights that this figure may have risen further following the intake of the 2024/25 first year students.
She said a lot of those commuting believe it is unaffordable, with one respondent to the survey saying: "It makes me depressed. I had and still have no student life and I have to wake up at five in the morning everyday to be able to commute into college."
The USI said the pricing of public transport needs to be addressed, stating that some students can be spending upwards of €500 a month solely on public transport, with some commuting from Donegal and Cork to Dublin everyday due to the lack of accommodation.
"Public transport for students should be free to alleviate this burden. An argument made against free public transport is that people will make “unnecessary journeys”; students commuting hours a day and working part-time jobs would not be making any unnecessary journeys," the USI said.
"The lack of public transport options only deepens the financial strain on students, who are already stretched thin by the cost of their education. And the high vost of tuition fees, combined with inadequate student supports, leaves many students struggling to survive, forcing some to make the heartbreaking decision to abandon their education all together.
"These challenges do not only affect individual students; they have far-reaching consequences for the entire nation. Education is the foundation of a fair and equitable society, and when we fail to adequately fund and support it, we jeopardise the future of Ireland as a whole. We cannot afford to leave any student behind."
