State may fund thousands of student beds in DCU, UCD and Trinity

Thousands of student beds may be built at DCU, UCD and Trinity under plans for universities to receive public funding in exchange for offering affordable rents.

Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris is due to brief Cabinet colleagues next week on talks with a number of universities who have permission to build campus accommodation but have been unable due to high construction costs.

DCU, for example, secured planning permission several years ago to double the number of student beds at its Glasnevin campus.

It was forced to shelve the plans when it emerged that the cost of construction meant it would have to charge students exorbitant rents.

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Mr Harris said on Friday his department has been working with DCU and other universities to make their projects viable.

“Last November I got approval to, for the very first time, invest taxpayers’ funding into student accommodation. That resulted in Maynooth, Galway and Limerick being able to proceed with projects which otherwise were stalled,” he said.

“DCU has an active planning permission and we’ve been working really intensively with DCU to try and make their project viable. I expect very good news in relation to this next week.”

It is understood that Mr Harris will also update Government colleagues on proposals to part-fund student accommodation at UCD, Trinity and UCC.

Any developments are likely to place in phases, say sources, rather than a single, large announcement.

Under a €32 million deal announced last December, Maynooth University, Limerick University and the University of Galway received additional State funding for accommodation which will be offered to students at “affordable” rents. The balance of funding for the projects is coming directly from the universities.

The new units will be built on Maynooth’s main campus, while Galway and Limerick will have their additional accommodation built nearby.

A similar deal is likely to be offered to DCU and other universities under plans being drawn up.

UCD last year shelved plans for 1,200 student units due to high construction costs, while other colleges have also postponed plans to build thousands GO student beds.

Mr Harris has said there is a “double benefit” to providing more purpose-built accommodation, as it also frees up other rental properties in a market where demand exceeds supply.

He was speaking at the launch of the new research at DCU into the progression of students moving from further education into higher education.

The College Connect research project found that while there is a stigma or status issue with further education, many participants found their courses were empowering and gave them a sense of accomplishment.

Students praised the diversity, peer support, class sizes and work placement experiences from their time in further education.

However, further education students progressing into higher education reported experiencing barriers such as social barriers, financial concerns and family/caring responsibilities.

College Connect, which is led by Maynooth University in partnership with DCU, Technological University of the Shannon and Dundalk Institute of Technology, is a regional access programme funded by the Higher Education Authority.

The study involved almost 60 students in seven further education colleges in the greater Dublin area to gather views and insights on the factors encouraging or discouraging the transition from further to higher education.

Dr Sarah Sartori, the author of the report, said further education students still view university as the pathway to better life outcomes and opportunities, but universities needed to be conscious of “what it is exactly they have to offer the further education student.”

She said Minister Harris’s plans to forge closer connections between further and higher education through joint degree programmes reflects the research recommendations in terms of parity of esteem between the two sectors, clearer pathways and smooth transition for further education students.