Students either accrue six-figure debt or work three jobs to pursue medical degree

The four-year Graduate Entry to Medicine course in UCD costs €18,880 per year for EU/Irish students, while non-EU students pay €63,810 per year. In UCC, it is €15,500 and €56,000, respectively. File picture

University students are either in six-figure debt or working three full-time jobs in order to pursue a medical degree, according to a new report.

Students doing the Graduate Entry to Medicine (GEM) course offered at four universities in Ireland, University College Dublin (UCD), University College Cork (UCC), University of Limerick (UL) and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) have said they are facing “wider financial pressures, workload demands and uncertainty surrounding career progression”. 

The four-year course in UCD costs €18,880 per year for EU/Irish students, while non-EU students pay €63,810 per year. In UCC, it is €15,500 and €56,000, respectively.

However, with living expenses, placement-related outlays, and course materials, this amount could exceed €100,000 a year for students, according to student unions in those universities.

The survey found some 58% of Irish students accessing the GEM programme relied on their parents or guardians to financially back their studies. Then, for non-EU students, 49% relied on bank loans as their primary source of funding.

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One student said it was an “awful feeling knowing I have €160,000 of debt to deal with when I finish".

Another called the fees “disgraceful”, saying “extremely high fees” stop students from being able to enrol.

Additionally, 50.34% of students said they worked while they carried out their studies. 

Out of that, 64% were Irish students, while 69% were in their third year of studies, and 67% were in their fourth year.

The report said this “directly contradicted institutional assumptions that clinical years are too demanding for paid employment". 

One student said: 

Having to work part-time just to service my loan and take away from my studies makes my GPA mediocre, which affects my mental health. 

Another student said they were finding it “really difficult at present trying to balance placement with studies and working three full-time jobs just to get by". 

The report highlighted that when GEM students were asked to rank “their biggest sources of stress”, students placed both tuition fees and educational costs above their academic workload.

“The financial burden is driving mental distress, forcing students to choose between their studies and their financial stability,” the report said.

It also warned that due to the current structure of the GEM degree, the barriers to entry are “actively discouraging potential applicants and limiting the pipeline of future doctors” amid persistent staffing shortages within the health service.

However, responses from the survey show that over 70% of Irish respondents indicate an intention to remain in the country following their graduation.