Irish Examiner view: Student accommodation crisis could limit third-level to the wealthy

Housing crisis has reached into almost every aspect of Irish life — and it could be hampering access to third-level education

Senator Laura Harmon, centre, with members of students' unions from across Ireland yesterday. Senator Harmon was holding up a copy of The Residential Tenancies (Student Rent) Bill 2026 which she published on Wednesday.  Picture: Diane Cusack

The accommodation crisis has reached into almost every part of modern Irish life, affecting areas as diverse as employment patterns and commuting times.

It should come as no surprise that it is having an impact on student life as well.

As Imasha Costa reported here this week, courtesy of the Student Cost of Living Index from Switcher.ie, Dublin remains the most expensive city for college, unsurprisingly, with students spending almost €20,000 a year. 

Cork is in second place, with students forking out an average of €1,667 a month on groceries, entertainment, utilities, and rent.

These are enormous sums that put immense pressure on students and their families.

As has been noted elsewhere recently, if the cost of attending a third-level college in certain cities becomes prohibitive, then we run the risk of limiting third-level educational opportunities to the wealthy and to those who already live in those cities.

That does not augur well for either educational opportunity in the country at large or for the diversity of students entering some of our professions, both of which are unhelpful in the long term.

The significance of the cost of accommodation can hardly be overestimated here. 

How else to explain the new legislation that seeks to prevent student accommodation providers from circumventing rent controls by imposing additional charges on tenants under the guise of service fees?

As reported by Education Correspondent Jess Casey, new legislation published by Labour senator Laura Harmon seeks to ensure mandatory service fees or charges are included upfront in rental prices. 

It follows the revelation that last year, mandatory service charges at Dublin City University (DCU) for utilities, combined with rent increases, saw monthly charges rise by almost 7%. The service charge at DCU’s Glasnevin campus for students increased from €87 to €130.

DCU has since claimed the charges reflected market conditions and were not set by the university, but this is very disappointing. We have a serious problem on our hands if we need laws to prevent third-level institutions from gouging their own students on costs.

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Paradox of a ‘green’ agenda

The damage caused in the East Cork area by Storm Babet in October 2023, and in Midleton in particular, was hugely disruptive. It is hardly surprising that Cork County Council subsequently commissioned a report to study nature-based solutions that might guard against a repeat of those scenes.

This seems apposite. 

Nature-based solutions typically involve measures such as wetland restoration, forestation, and the introduction of green spaces in urban areas to slow run-off and enhance water retention outside vulnerable areas.

However, there has been a good deal of controversy surrounding the report in question, produced by two Trinity College Dublin academics.

The council responded negatively to a draft report, as reported by Ken Foxe and Cianan Brennan, raising quite a few queries, ranging from the tone of the report to its lack of cost-benefit analysis.

The council and the report authors have continued to engage on a second draft of the document, which was delivered in March.

It is worth considering that development in the context of a different piece published here by Sean O’Riordan on parking spaces in towns in Co Cork.

Councillors have pointed out that in towns such as Fermoy, Mallow, and Macroom, increased car ownership and adult children living at home due to the lack of alternative accommodation have resulted in a lack of parking spaces in these towns. 

This is leading to tensions between neighbours in some areas.

At least one public representative called for council engineers to survey local estates to identify green areas that could potentially be converted into parking spaces.

Here is a neat illustration of the difficulties involved in adopting and implementing environmental protection measures. We have a local authority that is critical of a report advocating nature-based solutions to flooding such as green spaces, while it is also being advised to get rid of green spaces in towns for more car parking.

Disregarding the odd consistency of those stances, they perform a valuable service by underlining the challenge of implementing measures that truly combat climate change.

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Dublin Horse Show

The 151st Dublin Horse Show began this week, a major undertaking that is expected to draw more than 120,000 people to the RDS — as well as 1,600 horses and ponies — where the event will be the first in the redeveloped and newly renamed Laya Arena.

First held in 1864, the Horse Show is a high point of the equestrian sport calendar, drawing visitors from overseas as well as the four corners of Ireland.

For many older readers who are not passionate horse sport enthusiasts, however, it is forever connected with the annual Nations’ Cup showjumping competition for the Aga Khan Trophy, and the golden age when the competitors and their horses were household names.

In 1977, for instance, Ireland won the first of three victories in a three-in-a-row with a team of Paul Darragh on Heather Honey; James Kernan on Condy; Eddie Macken on Boomerang; and Captain Con Power on Coolronan, Castle Park, and Rockbarton.

It is no exaggeration to say that Eddie Macken was among the most famous Irish sportspeople of the decade.

Ireland finished third in last year’s Horse Show, behind Germany and the winning Netherlands team, but the home team are nowhere near as famous as their 70s predecessors.