If you’ve seen that student fees have been cut again, it’s tempting to assume college just got a lot easier. For some of us it did. For most, not by much, and not where it counts.
Five days before the budget, around a thousand students marched to the Dáil, with the Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU/AMLCT) among them. Trinity told staff to let students miss classes for the walkout, with no repercussions. The marchers wanted the €2,500 contribution fee scrapped, the funding gap closed, and housing students can actually afford. The national students’ union, Aontas na Mac Léinn in Éirinn (AMLÉ), called for a €500 cut this year and a plan to abolish the charge altogether. On October 6th, they got a €150 cut, bringing the maximum student contribution fee down to €2,350.
What is €150, really?
If we do the maths, the €150 is a saving over a whole year, which comes to about €12.50 a month, or under €3 a week. That is very much a coffee-and-sandwich saving, not anything substantial. Last October, TCDSU/AMLCT’s then education officer, Buster Whaley, put average student living costs at between €12,000 and €14,000 a year. Next to that, €150 barely registers.
Students who have already paid this academic year’s contribution fee will be able to request a refund, so it is worth checking that your bank details are up to date on the MyTCD portal, as this is where Trinity will most likely process these refunds.
Where the real money is
The grants matter more. SUSI maintenance rates rise 4.5 per cent, with some students getting up to €357 extra a year. Families on under €120,000 with more than one child in college get €750 off per student, and a new band for households earning €120,000 to €150,000 gets €500 per student. If your family ruled itself out of SUSI before, it is worth checking again.
What about rent?
For most of us, rent is the biggest bill, and the budget does little about it. The rent tax credit will rise by €150, to €1,150 for single people and €2,300 for couples, but it isn’t applied automatically, so you have to register. Essentially, the rent credit helps people who pay income tax, and many students don’t earn enough to pay any.
Then there’s rent-a-room. The tax-free limit rises from €14,000 to €16,000. Labour Senator Laura Harmon warned this “risks encouraging higher charges in a market where students already struggle to find somewhere affordable”, and that even a small rent increase could swallow the entire €150 fee cut. She called on Ministers to ensure students benefit from lower college costs rather than face higher accommodation bills.
So why are landlords being prioritised? AMLÉ puts the student bed shortfall at 50,000, and nothing in this budget suggests student accommodation is a priority.
Is anyone listening?
A little, and not very willingly. TCDSU/AMLCT President Amy Kennedy said on protest day that class sizes are much larger than they should be and facilities are often falling apart, while students pay €2,500 a year for a supposedly “free” education. The Higher Education Minister, James Lawless, proposed a €250 cut and sought an extra €26,000,000, but settled for less.
Our own college was pushing too. Provost Linda Doyle backed a call for an extra €190,000,000 a year in core funding. On budget day, the Irish Universities Association said this kind of under-investment leaves universities unable to cope with rising student demand. This lack of funding will only become more apparent to students, and matters more than the €150 back in your pocket, because the gap shows up in packed tutorials, run-down facilities and teaching that’s stretched thin.
A fairer way to charge (maybe?)
Instead of shaving another €150 off a flat fee every October, we could charge students according to what they can afford.
France does versions of this. Its public universities charge a small flat fee (€178 for a bachelor’s year and €254 for a master’s in 2025–26) plus a €105 campus levy, with grant holders exempt. Sciences Po goes further, using a sliding scale based on family income since 2005. For 2026–27, fees for EEA students run from €0 to €14,900 at undergraduate level, and the university says 36 per cent of its students paid no tuition fees in 2024–25.
Ireland already does this halfway. The Student Grant Scheme covers the full contribution, 50 per cent of it, or €500, depending on income, and there is now another band going up to €150,000. The principle is accepted. The problem is the steps: earning a little over the line can cost you hundreds. A smooth scale from zero up to today’s fee would be fairer and stretch the same money further. I’m not suggesting Sciences Po’s top rate, just its principle.
It isn’t a perfect fix, and a flat fee is easier to understand. Many, such as the students who marched on the Dáil, argue the fee should be scrapped altogether, but that would mean a major structural change in how the State funds higher education, and that could take a long time. France also funds its universities very differently, so we can’t simply copy its model. Still, until the fee goes, charging people according to what they can afford seems the fairer way to do it.
So, should you care?
If you’re on or near the SUSI thresholds or have a sibling in college, yes. If you were hoping for help with rent or a better-funded college, this budget isn’t for you. The Government can fairly say it has cut fees two budgets in a row and aimed to help families under pressure. Our job is to then hold them to that. So the next time someone tells you fees are decreasing, ask whom for.
