Amidst a series of rent hikes at universities across the country, students at University College Dublin (UCD) staged a sit-in in protest of what they described as the “commercialisation” of third-level education.

The largest college student union in the country is nursing losses of €121,148 after its flagship annual ball flopped.

Students are getting extra supports and improved facilities, as universities pay the price for previous unauthorised top-ups of more than €7m to senior staff.