Fee return could see exodus to North

THE introduction of college fees could lead to students flocking over the border to Northern Ireland, third-level bosses warned yesterday.

In a polar opposite stance on the issue to their university counterparts, representatives of 13 of the institutes of technology told TDs and Senators they would oppose the anticipated Government announcement of some form of tuition fees or graduate tax.

Michael Carmody, chair of the Institutes of Technology Ireland (IoTI), said a form of undergraduate fees is already in place with the planned increase in registration charges from e900 to e1,500 next autumn.