Your Budget

Course Costs

All full time undergraduate courses contain three elements (1) tuition; (2) student contribution charge; and (3) student levy.

Tuition Fees

In Ireland, most undergraduate (Bachelor's) degrees are free for citizens from Ireland, EU/EEA countries, and Switzerland. The costs are covered by the Higher Education Authority (HEA).

To benefit from the “free fees initiative”, you have to apply for the government funding programme and prove that you are eligible: Check your tuition fee eligibility.

Student Contribution

Most colleges charge an annual student contribution. It covers costs such as student services, examinations, admissions, registration, fees administration and student records. The amount is decided by individual colleges. The maximum student contribution amount for the academic year 2020-2021 is €3,000. The Student Contribution must be paid by all students unless they are receiving a grant or scholarship which may cover all or part of this charge.

Student Levy

The student levy (approx €200) is payable by all students and is not covered by SUSI or any other funding body.

The levy is used to fund activities such as sports clubs, societies, Students Union and the student health unit.

Living expenses

The cost of living is an important consideration in your financial planning. This cost will be different depending on where you live.  Everyone’s expectations of college are different, but there are some similarities. 

We have provided some estimated figures to help with your planning. Your individual expenses will depend on where you are living and the cost of accommodation.

Course-related costs

There will be other costs which you should consider when creating your budget for college. These include:

Books and stationery

Each module or class in your course will have a reading list. This will include 'core books' and 'recommended reading'. You do not need every book for every subject.

Books can be expensive. There are lots of ways to access the reading for your course without buying new books:

• Use the library and online Ebooks - just be sure they are the right edition
• Use printing or photocopy options if you just need specific chapters
• Look for second hand copies of books – through social media groups or from other students putting up ads around campus
• Group together to buy books and share with your friends

Photocopying and printing

Be careful when you are printing or photocopying things like notes. Every page you produce is costing you money so only print what you actually need and where possible, print both sides of the page as this is cheaper. You will be surprised at how much money you lose when you over print.

Laptop / Personal Computer

It is not essential that you own a laptop before you start college.  Most colleges have great computer lab facilities with hundreds of available computers. These often have long opening hours, some are open 24hours.

Course specific costs

There can be costs associated with some courses that you need to include in your budget. These could include:

• the cost of specific equipment
• field trips
• the cost of a year studying abroad

Contact your academic department to find out what additional costs you might need to budget before starting college.