Ireland may end student relief fee, concerns over increasing living costs rise

The Irish government is expected to end a cost-of-living measure that reduced student fees by €1,000, prompting concern from student bodies and unions across the country. If confirmed, the change will raise the annual student contribution back to €3,000 for the upcoming academic year, as per a report by Times Higher Education.

The €1,000 relief, introduced in the 2022-23 academic year as a one-time support during the cost-of-living crisis, was extended twice more in subsequent years. While tuition fees are waived for most full-time undergraduate students from the European Economic Area, Switzerland, and the UK under Ireland’s free fees initiative, students still pay a yearly “student contribution.” With government support, that contribution had been reduced to €2,000.

Speaking on RTÉ Radio 1, Minister for Further and Higher Education James Lawless said, “All of us in any walk of life have to play the hands we’re dealt. If I don’t have a cost of living package, I can’t do those kind of measures that were done last year.” He also noted that while budget talks had not formally begun, “indications” suggest the relief will not be included in the 2026 budget.

The national student union, Aontas na Mac Léinn in Éirinn (AMLÉ), called the move a “calculated betrayal.”

Maisie Hall, president of the University of Galway Students’ Union, told Times Higher Education, “It seems like the government have decided that the cost of living crisis is over for students, and I can tell you for certain it’s not.”

Hall said students and families had planned around the reduced fee, and being forced to raise an extra €1,000 at short notice could stop some from enrolling or finishing their education. A survey conducted at Galway University showed that nearly half of students struggled to pay rent and more than half held part-time jobs. Among those with jobs, 56 per cent said it hurt their academic performance.

Seán Thim, president of the Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union, said the earlier fee reductions had eased pressures and allowed students to avoid skipping meals, reduce long commutes, and stay in accommodation near campus.

“This increase particularly targets financially disadvantaged students,” he said. “It will further put strain on financial supports and bursaries which already face high uptake, and most tragically of all, it will force students who can’t afford the fee hike out of higher education. This fee hike hurts those with the least the most.”