Trinity College Dublin is managing on a budget which is only a fraction of that available to comparable leading universities in Europe, according to a major new report on the third-level sector.
The report, from the influential Royal Irish Academy, underlines how the third-level sector here is seriously underfunded.
It compares Trinity to a selection of other leading universities, including Heidelberg in Germany and Edinburgh in Scotland. While all are highly-rated in the European rankings, Trinity has less staff per student, less public funding and other supports.
Trinity is ranked in the top 30 of European colleges, according to the annual list prepared by the Times Education Supplement.
The academy report was compiled by a working group made up of some of the country's leading academic figures. It signals that Trinity's high ranking is a remarkable achievement given the lack of State investment.
The report comes as the third-level sector faces what is seen by many as a funding crisis. Many senior figures now believe this can only be resolved by the return of college fees. Fees of around €5,000 per year for arts and business courses could generate over €200 million per year.
The Government says fees are off the agenda, and any move on the issue is very unlikely before the next election. However, some university presidents say the return of fees is inevitable.
In seeking to generate new funds for the sector, the Government may examine a proposal from Dr Don Thornhill, the former head of the Higher Education Authority. He proposed that students should be charged fees once they have completed some years in college.
