FEES or no fees, going to college is an expensive business and for those not lucky enough to live in accommodation near their chosen institution, it will be the biggest single expense of the year.
So what are the options? Those straight out of school are unlikely to want to go straight into the private rental market. Many of the larger and some of the smaller colleges provide student accommodation which is either on the college campus or near enough to it.
There are also student complexes managed by private companies nearby many colleges which operate in a similar way to college-run accommodation. These options are generally self-catering. There may be a supplement to pay for electricity or broadband, and the rent is paid in two or three instalments depending on the institution.
The cost of this kind of student accommodation does not vary hugely throughout the country, averaging at about €4,000 per year. Big variations in price tend to be within the colleges themselves. Student accommodation in UCD, for example, ranges between €3,500 to just under €5,000 for the year.
Student accommodation fills quickly however, and supply of both college-managed and private campus-style facilities varies widely around the country: there is relatively little in Dublin relative to demand, but fairly good supplies in Limerick, Galway and Cork.
Right now, on-campus accommodation in UCC is already full for example, although there is some space in privately managed student complexes around the university in Cork.
The cost of such accommodation varies but on the whole it is similar to that of college-managed accommodation. While student accommodation has led to many first years shunning the option of digs or lodgings, some are still available in the hinterland of most colleges. The security of a family home or a landlady can be reassuring and most digs include meals. It’s a reasonably economical choice. At between €90 and €120 per week depending on the part of the country, digs work out at a similar price to the higher end college accommodation with no added extras and often no food bills. The downside is that often the accommodation is for five days. The option of staying for the weekend can cost extra and is at the discretion of the landlord or lady.
Renting is rarely the choice of first years but sometimes needs must. There is some good news in a recent survey from accommodation website Daft.ie which indicates that rents are down by two per cent overall. A small drop, but it’s better than nothing.
Students in UCD, TCD and DIT still face a huge challenge finding suitable accommodation at reasonable rent as south Dublin and the city centre remain the most competitive and expensive rental market in the country. A recent rental report from Daft.ie quoted the average cost of renting a double room in Dublin city centre as €649 per month. Students in UCD aren’t much better off as they can expect to pay an average of €568 for a similar room in Dublin south city.
Outside of Dublin however, the story improves. Average rent for a double room in Cork is €394 while in Limerick it falls to €309. In most cities and towns with third level institutions, rents will be between three and four hundred euro. Students in Letterkenny IT are the most likely to have extra spending money with the average double room costing €241, the lowest of the areas surveyed.
“We won’t get a proper idea of the accommodation situation for students this year until it’s all over in October,” says Anthony Muldoon, welfare officer with the Union of Students of Ireland (USI).
“In Dublin city, where students are in competition with professionals for accommodation I’d say it will still be tough. The Daft report was quite optimistic so it will be interesting to see whether things have in fact improved.”
Of course, organising a place to stay will be easier if you do your homework in advance: even if you can’t finally arrange a place to stay until you know where you’re going to college – and you can’t know that for sure until the CAO offers arrive towards the end of August – if you have all the information you need at your fingertips then, you will be one of the early birds.
Worth remembering if you’re heading for college next autumn.
