Dublin
Digs In Dublin costs between £50 and £60 for five days and £60 and £80 for seven days. The further out of the city you go, the lower the price, so if you are willing to make the trek in and out you may find something cheaper than the above. (But bear in mind, travel costs will increase accordingly.)
There is a general shortage of affordable accommodation as the student population increases and prices continue to soar. Sharing a flat or house with a few students averages out at £50 a week.
All the main colleges have a list of digs and flats at this stage, so check in with your accommodation officer. Also, get the evening paper, and get going as quickly as you can. From early to mid-September you will probably find yourself waiting in long queues. Choices are limited and students often find themselves paying more than they had intended or living some distance from college.
Trinity College Dublin does not offer on-campus accommodation to first years, but rooms are available for 170 first-year students in Trinity Hall, Rathgar, about a 15-minute bus journey (off peak hours, that is) from college. Students who get an offer of a place at Trinity and live outside the greater Dublin area will receive application forms in the post - if you are interested, fill in and post back your form fast. Rooms cost £1,576 for a single room from October to May, with a break over the Christmas period. The fee is payable in two instalments. A twin room is a little cheaper. Students can stay on for their end-of-year exams by paying an additional daily rate. These prices include central heating and hot water. The students' union also operates a comprehensive accommodation service. Contact either the union or the accommodation office for information on the advice stall which operates during September.
University College Dublin has accommodation officers who can provide students with lists of digs and flats. The advice there is "come in and talk to us - and don't worry, you will find something". Both the accommodation office and the students' union provide information leaflets on flat-hunting, maps and advice on signing lease agreements. There are 400 places reserved for first-years in on-campus accommodation at UCD. If you are interested, as soon as you get your offer send in your name, address, a photograph, CAO number and a deposit of £200. Each application will be included in a lottery which takes place on August 28th this year. The accommodation for first years - Belgrave, Mervill and Roebuck Hall - is all on the Belfield campus. This year, rooms cost approximately £1,760 per person for the academic year, payable in two instalments. The Blackrock student residence costs slightly less, to allow for travel expenses.
At Dublin City University, on-campus accommodation for second- to fourth-years has all been allocated, and there is already a long waiting list for first years. The accommodation office has a list of off-campus accommodation which is updated on a daily basis.
Tallaght IT offers students a register of accommodation which includes digs and house-sharing. Students who wish to get a copy of the register must come to the office with their student number.
The DIT student services office provides a comprehensive accommodation list which is given out through each constituent college students' union. About three-quarters of the list is digs. Each accommodation list comes with a copy of leaflets on tenants' rights. If you've any problems, union officers are there to help.
The NCAD sends first-years a list of accommodation, guidelines and a map in the post. It also provides a service for students who are looking for someone to share with. Contact the students' union. The good news from the accommodation office at NUI Maynooth is "don't expect a disaster, there is no chronic shortage of accommodation". Students are advised to call into the residence officer, Fiona Kenny, to pick up a listing, guidelines and maps. The average price there per person sharing a house is £35 per week. Digs costs around £57 for five days and £72 for seven days. There is a long waiting list already for on-campus accommodation for first-years, so it is advisable to look at the various other options at this stage. Accommodation at the on-campus Auxilia Girls' Hostel, including breakfast and an evening meal, costs £75 a week.
The cost of the on-campus apartments, which must be paid for in two instalments for the year, works out at £41.50 per week. There will be extra staff available to students during peak flathunting time, to help with any sort of queries. Students are advised to come to the accommodation offer as soon as they get their offers in order to find places they are happy with.
Limerick
On-campus accommodation at the University of Limerick is totally booked up, with a long waiting list. Approximately 100 places are allocated to first-years.
Anyone intending to live on-campus tends to book a place at the university's open day during Easter. Once a college place has been offered, students receive notification of accommodation offers. Plassey Village costs between £1,320 and £1,592 for the year. Paid in two instalments, the fee covers gas, electricity, a television licence, rubbish collection and general maintenance. At Killmurry Village the annual payment is between £1,422 and £1,592, again payable in two instalments.
According to the off-campus accommodation officer, Frances McNamara, there will be an open day for students and landlords at the college this Friday, August 27th. The landlords will be at their properties on that date so students can go viewing. A list of digs and self-catering accommodation is available, as well as maps and information on rights and insurance. UL is surrounded by housing estates, so students tend to choose digs or house sharing. House-sharing averages out at around £40 per week, while the college recommends around £50 for five-days' digs and £70 for seven days. Student accommodation is also available in a number of hostels and residences. Limerick IT has a comprehensive accommodation service including listings for all students.
Recent reports on accommodation in Cork indicate things are not looking all that easy down south this year. However, according to the accommodation office at University College Cork, "once you are sensible and get here in plenty of time, you should find somewhere suitable". On-campus accommodation at UCC is pretty much booked out. There are seven complexes owned by UCC; e.g. Castlewhite (tel: (021) 2786871), which costs on average £2,000 per academic year. Privately owned residences include Brookfield (tel: (021) 344032), which is four minutes from campus; Abbey Wharf (tel: (021) 821644); Abbey Ville (tel: (021) 346346); The Village (tel: (021) 345344); Baymara (tel:(021) 346565); Mount Grange (tel: (021) 522033) and North Quay Place (tel: 088 530967). They are all located between 10 and 30 minutes from college and taken together offer almost 1,500 places for students. Prices range from around £1,150 a year, per person sharing. There is a booking deposit of between £75 and £200. Most of these complexes keep a number of rooms for first-year students. However, if you are interested you should move fast to secure a place at this stage. Off-campus, digs this year cost from £60 to £80. House-sharing near college costs on average £40 a week. The accommodation office posts our lists of digs, though you are advised to come up to the office and check the noticeboard if you are interested in house-sharing. The Evening Echo is another good source information. Fiona Kelly is the student services officer at Cork IT. "We are expecting a large influx of students towards the end of the month, and their will probably be a bit of a scramble at that stage," she says. The message there is to get looking for a place as soon as possible. The accommodation office provides a list of accommodation which is updated daily.
Galway
At the time of writing, there is still a certain amount of on-campus accommodation left for students going to NUI Galway. All room types are available and places are held for first-years, but you would be advised to make contact immediately. Telephone Corrib Village at (091) 527112. Prices vary depending on room type, but a twin room costs £1,721 per person for the academic year, and this is paid in two instalments. Off-campus, despite the building boom in Galway, it isn't that easy to find affordable accommodation. "As soon as they get an offer, students should come to the accommodation office here at the university," advises accommodation officer Margaret Faherty.
Expect to pay around £50 a week sharing a one-bedroom apartment. Three-bedroom houses, which accommodate up to five students, cost between £120 and £150. Lodgings cost from £55 to £70, while self-catering accommodation costs between £40 and £45 per week. The accommodation office has a list of available accommodation which is updated regularly. "Don't book anything over the phone," warns Faherty. "Come into the office, get a list of available accommodation and advice on lease arrangements. First-years are also well advised to bring their parents along to help them find somewhere suitable. "Whatever you do, don't panic and take the first thing you see, which is inevitably disastrous. It may take a bit of time, but you will eventually get properly fixed up." Don't forget to buy your copy of the Galway Advertiser on Thursday for a list of accommodation - or if you're really on the ball, get to the newspaper's office on Wednesday around 3 p.m., when you can by the list itself for 20p.
The Galway-Mayo IT accommodation office has a list of accommodation and an advisory service for students. Renmore, Ballybane, Mervue and Merlin Park are popular with students and the college's official accommodation noticeboard is a useful source of information.
