Dublin falls in list of top student cities

Dublin fell in the world ranking for people to study due to high tuition fees, according to the QS Top Universities Guide. Dublin fell from 15th to 32nd place.

It commends Dublin for having a large number of students with a high proportion of international students studying in the city.

DCU International student Wing Man Liu said she pays €10,700 per year which is almost double compared to other EU countries. Liu said: “My family used up all the money and I have to consider getting a student loan for my Master study.”

3rd year DCU engineering student Kevin Kelly said “because they’re international students I think there’s going to be an extra cost compared to internal students. Dublin has a great reputation as a university city, I know it’s getting quite expensive but in the long run I think it’s worth it”.

A spokesperson for the QS Top Universities Guide said the perfect city combines a “top-class study facility and historic surrounding with a cracking social scene and friendly locals”, which it said Dublin has.

“Its weakest point is affordability, with international tuition fees averaging around €14,430 per year.”

They also say that “in terms of general living expenses Dublin may not be as costly as you expect”.

According to the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) spokesperson, Kevin Donoghue, finding a place to live in Dublin is the hard part. “There was and continues to be, a lack of affordable, liveable
accommodation in the city.”

Liu said: “Life in Dublin is quite expensive compared to my home country Hong Kong. The bus fare is high and having dinner in a restaurant is expensive.” According to Liu she’s happy with the education she’s received and the career service after graduation offered by DCU, adding that compared to the USA, Canada and the UK fees in Dublin are relatively low.

Elaine Carroll

Image: wikipedia.org

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