Continued from previous page lage; £1,663 in a four bedroom house in Plassey; and £1,663 in a six bedroom house in Kilmurry.
Payment is in two equal instalments. Students should request an application form from Pauline Gilheany, Plassey Campus Centre Ltd, University of Limerick (061 02433), and application forms should he returned with a £75 deposit of which £70 is refundable.
Off-campus, the college accommodation office recommends £48-£58 for five days in digs and £58-£68 for seven days. House sharing varies from £100-£125 per month and there is a good deal of housing available. The "accommodation office maintains a list of landlords.
Limerick RTC: Both the students' union and the pastoral services office can assist students seeking accommodation.
Cost: Similar to UL.
GALWAY
University College Galway: Some rooms in UCG's student accommodation at Corrib Village (051 527112) are already gone but at the time of writing there were still vacancies for single standard rooms (£1,544 per year, payable in two equal instalments), twin standard (£1,164) and double en suite (£1,924). A refundable deposit of £160 should be submitted with the application form available from the college.
Off-campus, expect to pay in the region of £55-£62 per week for five days lodgings and £65-£75 for seven days. Self-catering should cost around £32-£37 per week. Three bedroom houses, which can hold up to five students, and two bedroom flats with room for up to four students, should cost £120-£150 per week divided between all the residents. A twin-bedded flat will cost approximately £60 per week. Deposits for flats and houses should be around £100 per student.
A good bet for accommodation details is the Galway Advertiser, which is published each Thursday. Resourceful students can steal a jump on the rest by heading to the newspaper's main office at 3.00pm on Wednesday, when the accommodation list can be purchased for 20p-30p. The list is also available on the Internet at http://www.iol.ie/resource/ga/ or, for those outside Ireland, at galway .iol.ie
Galway RTC: The college's chaplaincy provides lists of accommodation as well as offering general advice on accommodation seeking. The areas of Renmore, Ballybane, Mervue and Merlin Park are popular with students, and the college's official accommodation noticeboard is opposite the door to Red Square. First year students are generally expected to go into digs, self-catering or hostel accommodation until they settle into college.
Essentially, RTC students are competing with their university peers for the available accommodation so it is advisable to head to the city as early as possible.
Cost: Expect roughly similar rates to those listed in the UCG section above.
CORK
University College Cork:
UCC now has six student complexes in operation. Castlewhite (021 276871, ext 2867) is on-campus; Brookfield (021 344032) is four minutes away; Victoria Cross (021 345344) is around seven minutes away; Deans Hall (021 312363), North Quay Court (088 530967) and Popes Quay Court (021 399390) are between 10 and 25 minutes from the college. Together they offer nearly 1,500. places for students.
Prices range from £1,000-£1,200 for a twin room, although there are not many of these available, while single rooms cost £1,400-£1,800. Generally, the prices do not include electricity, except in North Quay and Popes Quay, and a booking deposit of £50-£100 is required. The college accommodation office (021 276871) supplies an information sheet on the student complexes but students should contact the accommodation centre of their choice directly to make bookings.
Off-campus, digs should cost around £46 for five days and £65 for seven days in a twin room while digs in a single room should cost around £54 for five days and £75 for seven days. House sharing prices costs from £25-£40 per week and, according to the UCC accommodation, office, standards vary enormously. It advises students never to enter into an agreement without a contract and to contact the office if they have any questions about their legal entitlements. Lists of available accommodation can be found on the noticeboard outside the accommodation office.
Cork RTC: The college provides an accommodation advice service for digs, through which each student is provided with a number of accommodation addresses to inspect.
The college does not really provide information on other accommodation options but will advise on agencies.
Cost: The suggested rate for digs in the area is £47.50 for five days sharing or £60-£65 for seven days. A single room should cost £47.50 for five days or £52.50 for seven days. Expect the rates for house-sharing and so forth to be similar to those in the UCC section above.
OTHER AREAS
Accommodation rates are generally lower-outside major cities, but the downside is that the availability of accommodation may also be more limited. Most colleges will send out information to students shortly after they have accepted the offer of a place but intending students can also contact the students' union or student services office directly. Generally, early in September is a good time to start seeking accommodation since by that point, landlords and landladies have decided on rates availability and the like.
Athlone RTC: The RTC is spread over two campuses and the students' union provides a list of accommodation available near each campus. An accommodation booklet is also produced by the union and all accommodation offered has been checked thoroughly by the union.
Cost: Digs accommodation costs £43 for five days while self-catering costs £30 for five days. House sharing, costs from £22-£25, depending upon amenities.
Carlow RTC: The student service's office produces a booklet containing details of accommodation for incoming students. The office's accommodation officer maintains a register of suitable accommodation, provides information on availability and advises students and property owners on all aspects of, letting. Many students book their accommodation on the college's information Day which is being held on September 3rd this year, although students can begin looking earlier than that.
Cost: Digs accommodation, of which first year students are encouraged to avail costs approximately £40 per week for five days and £55 per week for seven days. Sharing a house, flat or bedsit costs around £25 per week.
Dundalk RTC: There was a good supply of accommodation in Dundalk last year and the students union provides a regularly updated, accommodation list for students. Union president Mark McKenna expects lists to be available next week, and they should contain comprehensive details of the accommodation on offer.
Cost: Five days in digs will cost around £42 near the college, dipping to £35-£40 slightly, further away and £35 at the far end of town. Students at the lower end will probably spend much of what they save on bus fares since the RTC is about a mile outside the town, but they will be nearer the centre of Dundalk, the hub of social life. Expect flat and house-sharing to range from £20-£22 up, to £25-£28 for apartments, which usually includes electricity.
Letterkenny RTC: The college, in association with the students' union, offers an accommodation list to all incoming students and digs in particular are quite plentiful. For those interested in starting their accommodation search early, a number of private bus firms operate daily services to and from Dublin and Galway, in addition to Bus Eireann and various weekend services.
Cost Five day digs average out at around £35-£40. The cost of rented accommodation varies, with the average person sharing a rented house paying around £25 per week rising to up to £45 per week for a shared, apartment.
"Sligo: The student services office provides a comprehensive accommodation service, including a list of accommodation options which is available to all incoming students.
There is a lot of housing available in Sligo, but don't leave it to the last minute to find it.
Cost: Expect to pay £40-£50 for five days in digs and £20-£25 a week for house-sharing.
Tralee RTC: The college maintains a list of accommodation for students.
Cost: Expect to pay around £40 for five days digs at the lower end of the scale and £50-£55 at the higher end. House-sharing starts at around £20 per person per week but be prepared to spend up to £30 to secure a reasonable place to live.
Waterford RTC: Waterford RTC's on-campus accommodation costs £1,444 for the academic year. Application forms are available frog John Rockett, Waterford RTC, Cork Rolid, Waterford and should be returned with a £150 deposit. Students have separate en-suite bedrooms in four-bedroomed apartments.
The students' union provides information, advice and negotiating services to all students and maintains an information base on accommodation, legal rights and the relevant housing regulations. With over 4,000 students in the RTC, demand for accommodation in the area is high.
Cost: Expect to pay £45-£50 per week for digs and £25-£30 for house-sharing, flats and bedsits.
