By Amy Gargan | Apr 2 2016
As fees and the cost of living continue to rise, Amy Gargan shows how difficult it can be to finance a year in college.[br]Money and college are two words that appear almost exclusively together. Rarely is college mentioned in the media without concerns over the rising fees or the cost of moving out following. Attending college in Dublin can cost up to €11,000 a year if you live away from home, so there’s reason to be concerned. Through the resources available and the student’s input, you can fund a third level degree. There are grants to help pay for fees, and a student card is a powerful weapon for discounts. It is possible to make ends meet, and at the end of the day, it is worth it, but a student’s entire journey through college should not be plagued by money worries. Unfortunately though, it can be.The issue with rising fees dominates students’ worries. There is little room to relax when the final numbers are tallied up. For families that fall below an annual income, or for students who come from disadvantaged backgrounds, there are schemes and grants available to ease the pressure. Around 40 per cent of Irish families qualify for either grants or schemes, which pay tuition and give a monthly student allowance. So why are we so obsessed with the cost of education when there are grants and schemes to help? As essential as they are for thousands of students throughout the country, their misuse and abuse calls into question the lack of regulation.Money is tied so closely with decisions students make in college that failing a module is more terrifying due to the €230 repeat charge rather than having it on record. The SUSI grant does not pay for repeating, but reinstates itself once the student moves on. It’s understandable that students who fail a part of their degree should have to pay, but it seems that in institutions such as UCD, there is no consideration for why someone would fail. It is plausible that an excessive social life and no respect for college can play a part, but this is not the case for every student. In UCD, students who drop out before a certain deadline are spared, but those who decide after are liable to pay full fees if they start a new undergraduate degree, being punished for not deciding quick enough.The Higher Education Authority (HEA) pays tuition fees for most students, with exceptions of course. This free fees scheme excludes several groups of people who would definitely benefit. Students who are not residents of the EU are not only excluded but have to pay more to study in Ireland, adding to the pressures of finding somewhere to live in a foreign country. Currently Irish students pay a €3,000 student contribution charge, as set by the government. What angers students about this charge is that since it was ‘frozen’ at €2,000 five years ago, it has increased by €250 every year since. The economic situation of the time is the given excuse. The question posed here is whether asking students who already pay high fees to pay more is justified.Stepping away from fees, living costs are where most money is spent. The average student lives on between €70 and €100 a week. Placed into UCD’s 27-week term including exams, is a minimum of €2,100 not taking in to consideration rent and utilities for those who have moved out. There are students who live 30 to 60 minutes away on bus routes, commuters from surrounding areas and counties, and students who have to move out. For commuters, Student Leap Cards cap weekly travel off at €20, along with having Rambler tickets available. Yet, these discounts are by a mere 30 or 40 cent. Those who have moved out have to budget rent and utilities rather than commuting. God help you if you’ve moved out but still live 30 minutes away. It has been proven that students who live at home save money, but where the financial burden is lessened, the general amount of independence is not as great as students who have to cook their own dinners. Students argue that the first time someone gains significant independence shouldn’t come with such a high price tag, especially when moving out is their only option.Everything regarding college education comes with a cost, whether it’s discounted or not. Being a student has some benefits, but no matter how many two-for-one deals we are entitled to, there is more that could be done to lower costs. Many things are out of our control, but campaigning for lowered fees and more grant availability could pave the way for a system where everyone benefits. For now, there are no solutions on the horizon, so students will have to continue strategically budgeting and hoping for a change.