Irish university spent €10.6m on student records system still 'uncompleted' three years after deadline

University of Galway also spent a further €552,000 on contract-dispute resolution relating to the project, including mediation, legal review, and consultancy costs.

University of Galway has spent €10.6m to date on a new student record management system that remains "uncompleted" three years on from its original deadline, following significant delays and development challenges.

The university has also "effectively" written off €1.6m in costs associated with the project, which forms a key part of a broader programme to modernise how the university processes and manages student data. 

University of Galway also spent a further €552,000 on contract-dispute resolution relating to the project, including mediation, legal review, and consultancy costs.

It allowed its contract with EduCampus — the IT firm originally tasked with the delivery of the project — to expire in 2025 after mediation with the firm was unsuccessful. The university made the company a final payment of €3m, and a further of €324,000 in exit plan fees.

The university declined to say if it has found a new firm to complete the project when asked by the Irish Examiner. 

A spokesman for University of Galway said the implementation of the system is to "continue a phased basis" with a business case currently in preparation for the remaining elements. 

"It is the largest business transformation project ever undertaken by University of Galway and it is being carried out while our legacy systems and services remain live for more than 20,000 students," he said. 

Details on the student record management system are included in the most recent financial statements published by the university, which include a note from Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) Seamus McCarthy.

“The university envisaged the planned student record system as part of a broader student digital pathway (SDP) programme which had an overall programme budget of €16.4m,” he said. 

As of September 2025, €13.4m had been spent on the programme. Five of its smaller elements had been completed and brought into use. 

“The student record management system was the largest single element of the SDP programme and was originally expected to be delivered by September 2023. However, the project experienced significant delays and development challenges and remains uncompleted.”

While the university has deemed a “portion” of the planned system to the value of €9m to be reusable in its eventual deployment, remaining costs totalling €1.6m “have effectively been written off”, said Mr McCarthy.

The “crucial” student records system was expected to go live on September 1, 2023.

The university entered into a client services agreement in 2021 with IT firm EduCampus through the public sectoral framework for delivery of the project.

However, delivery on the contracted date did not occur, the financial statements note.

Efforts to bring programme back on track

“The university made several efforts to bring the programme back on track, including an agreed recovery plan, a review involving senior executives of the parties involved and a mediation process, as permitted by the client services agreement. These efforts proved unsuccessful.” 

In June 2025, the university allowed the contract with EduCampus to expire, the statements note.

University of Galway made a final payment of €3m to EduCampus, “in accordance with the terms of the contract in respect of costs due up to the expiry of the contract, and a further of €0.324m in exit plan fees in order to preserve the hosting environment and active work product".

EduCampus has since merged with HEAnet under the name Asiera. 

The company said it does "not comment on confidential commercial agreements and are not in a position to comment further."

Separately, the university also commissioned an independent review into the SDP project, delivered in two phases by an “external and independent service provider”.

It identified weaknesses “across the entire programme life cycle, including planning, resourcing, communication, programme governance, organisational readiness, and change management”, the report notes.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Further and Higher Education said University of Galway "operates as an autonomous higher education institution with responsibility for its own operational, financial, and governance decisions.

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"Accordingly, responsibility for the delivery, management, and oversight of the Student Digital Pathways programme rests with the university and its governing authority."

A spokeswoman for the Higher Education Authority said it had "sought and been given assurances that the appropriate governance oversight is in place". 

• Jess Casey is Irish Examiner Education Correspondent