'Some weeks I work 60 hours': Cork medical student forced to slog to pay for her studies

UCC medical student Lilian Tiina Gleave says she hopes the budget will prioritise investment in public transport and student accommodation.  Picture: Chani Anderson

As division emerged in the Coalition last summer over cuts to third-level fees, Lilian Tiina Gleave was, some weeks, working up to 60 hours to cover the cost of her studies.

A second-year medical student at University College Cork, Lilian spent her entire summer break from study working full-time.

“I’m paying my own fees at the moment,” she said. “Some weeks I was working 60 hours, to try and earn enough money to pay off my fees this year, and to pay for some sort of accommodation.”

While she is hoping to move into accommodation close to her campus shortly, she is currently commuting to UCC from her home in Kinsale daily via public transport.

“Right now, the way it's working is that if I want to get into class for 12, I’m leaving my house at 9.30am.

"If I was driving it would be much quicker, but at the moment it’s taking me about two and a half hours each way.

I’m not really having that college experience that you see in the movies or TV shows. That’s not really the problem for me — the problem for me is that it's affecting my ability to study. 

"Even with working one day each weekend, once I am in accommodation, I should have enough money for about five months. 

"Then I’m not really sure what I am going to do.” 

 She had considered applying for a loan to help cover the cost of her studies.

“The thing is, if I get a student loan I have to start paying it back immediately, unlike in the UK where you can pay it back when you graduate.” 

Over the summer, the Government was at odds after higher education minister James Lawless suggested a €1,000 cut to the third-level student contribution fee might not be repeated in Budget 2026.

The conversation about fees over the summer was “really disappointing”, Lilian says.

“The programme for government was promising to reduce the student contribution fee, and Fine Gael’s whole manifesto was making a commitment to phase it out. I’m really hoping they do stay true to that promise,” she says.

A gradual reduction in fees is a good first step, Lilian adds.

“But you know, there are a lot of countries in Europe who are able to manage the free fees and it would really help so many students. Sweden for example — I was offered a place in Sweden to study biomedicine and I would have had no fees but I chose to stay here because I wanted to be a doctor, and I wanted to work for the HSE some day, but it is tough for Irish medical students.” 

There are other measures the Government could take to help support students, she added.

“We have €750 clinical placement fee on top of the normal college fees, for the privilege for working for free in hospitals for three years. What could be a good step would be some kind of support for medical students. 

For example, people claim we don't have enough doctors so could there not be some sort of deal where if you promised to work for the HSE for five years after graduation, there could be some sort of loan?”