A student grant is available where parental income is less than €40,000 with partial grants available up an income of €64,700 and it will only cover up to about €7,500 a year leaving a €2,500 shortfall annually. Those not entitled to a grant will have to pay the full €10,000; often more in Dublin and usually a little lower in other locations.  If the cost of college is out of the reach there are ways of cutting the costs and there are still schemes where you can “earn while you learn” or even do your degree from home.  

Accommodation costs

For students who live outside of reasonable commuting options securing reasonable accommodation in Dublin now seems to have become more difficult than securing the CAO points.  Commuters from as far as the midlands, using public transport, can be at the gates of Trinity College at 8.30 and UCD at 9.00.  The student monthly commuter ticket from Athlone is €425 or roughly what you might pay for a very basic shared room in Dublin but without the utility and other bills. Commuting can result in a total annual saving, depending on where the student lives, of up to €1,500 a year.    

Student contribution/fees

You might assume that when the “student contribution” to the cost of college is set by Government at €3,000 that you will not be asked to pay more than that.   However, one Dublin University notes that the “total fees” are actually €5,809 for many of their undergraduate course and as high as €9,500 for one course.  A student could reduce their “student contribution” by up to €2,000 by selecting a different college to do the same degree.  

Non–standard degrees and “earn while you learn”

If going to university is out of your reach for family, financial or other reasons, then a degree is still a possibility while working and studying part time or from pure home study.  A number of employers have apprenticeship or management training programmes leading to the awarding of a degree along the way.  These programmes are usually fully funded and have built in study and exam leave.  An example of an “earn while you learn” programme is doing an ACCA accountancy training programme straight from secondary school with a local accounting practice or corporate sector employer.  Some retailers also offer on the job management training programmes leading to a degree along the way.  The best earn while you learn courses offer milestone qualifications as you progress.  This means that if you don’t finish the degree you have not wasted all of your time; for example, ACCA offers a Certificate, Diploma, Honours degree and then finally full ACCA as four potential milestones along your career.  

Many universities also offer free online courses, so called Massive Open Online Courses or MOOCs.  Usually the course is free to “attend” but you pay for the exam, just be careful that the university is a reputable one and the examinations are available in this country and at a reasonable cost.  MOOC degrees courses can be “attended” anywhere there is broadband and many are of a very high quality; ACCA X is an example of such a course.  I would recommend any second level student to attend some MOOC classes just to get a taste of their chosen degree, in advance of making their CAO choices.    Another option for non–standard tuition is “live on line” where you attend lectures live through broadband from anywhere in the world and listen as often as you wish to the recording afterwards.  

Income or family circumstance should not be a bar to any person of ability achieving a degree.  The traditional route of going to university or college directly after secondary school will not be open to everybody but it is possible to achieve a university degree in as short as 3 years while working and earning.  It does require more drive and the student will not get the experience of college life.  For graduates’ thinking about starting a family and wanting their children to have the same college experience as they had, good luck with any plans you might have for saving up the entire children’s allowance to pay for it.