Britain’s £9k fee to put pressure on Irish colleges

RISING college fees in Britain look likely to put more pressure on for third-level places here as there has been a drop of almost 20% in Irish students applying to study across the Irish Sea.

However, the raising of the upper limit in the tuition fees that universities in England, Wales and the North can charge to £9,000 (almost €10,900) from this year could also have a double impact, as colleges here could also see applications from Britain rising.

The University and College Admissions Service (UCAS), Britain’s equivalent of the CAO, has reported a 19% drop in the number of students from the Republic seeking entry in 2012.

Although most colleges in the UCAS system are open for applications up to next week, the fall to 1,900 Irish applicants up to December 19 from 2,352 a year earlier, compares to a 6% drop in overall applications to UCAS.

More than 7,000-plus Irish students are believed to be studying in British colleges and about 2,000 undergraduates travel here for third-level education each year from Britain and the North.

The Higher Education Authority said it was monitoring the UCAS trends to determine if it would mean greater numbers of Irish students would choose to stay at home for third-level study after the Leaving Cert this year.

“We are also waiting to see if there will be an increase in applicants from England and Wales,” a spokesperson said.

Though prospects for graduates look gloomy, recent CSO data showed third-level graduates were far less likely to be unemployed than other groups.

Waterford Institute of Technology’s acting president Tony McFeely told graduates being conferred yesterday they should remain positive and optimistic.

“We cannot ignore the dark economic clouds that have surrounded the country for the past few years. Job opportunities are not as readily available as they once were. However, your academic achievements should instil a sense of self-confidence. These times will pass, they always do.”

With rising pressure on college finances due to falling Government support, student intakes through the CAO have slowed. The 45,767 places filled in 2011 were just 170 more than 2010. A recent HEA report to Education Minister Ruairi Quinn suggested one option facing colleges could be to limit new enrolments to avoid a continuing fall in the quality of education.