College costs students €7,000 a year, says survey

MORE THAN half the country’s college students are being forced to work to meet the €7,000 cost of keeping themselves going until next summer.

The Union of Students in Ireland has estimated this as the total cost of studying away from home for the nine-month year at third level, including the €670 registration fee.

The biggest single cost for students is accommodation, with average rents of almost €300 being paid in college cities and towns.

A USI survey found that 51% of students plan to finance their study by taking up part-time work.

Despite the absence of tuition fees for now at least most of the 130,000 participants in higher education face costs that are more than half the €13,000 annual income of somebody earning the minimum wage.

Many thousands of extra students will qualify for improved grants, or receive State support for the first time, under the €42 million package announced by Minister for Education Noel Dempsey this summer.

But the remaining costs are still preventing students from disadvantaged backgrounds going to college, according to the USI.

The union said cost, rather than choice, was determining how students decide which courses to attend at which third-level institution. Almost three-quarters of students said they would choose a college near home rather than their current place of study, mainly influenced by financial reasons.

"Students should be able to study without amassing large debts during their course," said USI welfare officer Glen Guilfoyle. "The best way would be to increase the grant to social welfare levels so students have more chance of surviving college on their own means."

The full maintenance grant for students not living near home is just under €2,900 a year but can be increased to €4,500, the top rate of unemployment assistance. This is available to students whose families earn less than €13,800 annually, and is expected to benefit more than 7,500 people this year.

Meanwhile, 18 students whose occupational therapy degree course was cancelled last week at National University of Ireland, Galway, have urged the college and professionals to resolve the situation.

The Association of Occupational Therapists of Ireland turned down approval for the new course because it did not meet international standards.

Orla Shannon from Co Clare, one of the group who only found out the news last Thursday, said all the potential students were distraught.

"One girl has had to go to Britain, where she hopes there is a place for her but we are hoping our own course can be started up.

"We were mature enough to get here, let's hope the other parties can be mature enough to sit down and talk about it," she said.