According to a UCC Students’ Union research, third-level students are going to lectures without food and skipping out on sanitary items and healthcare in an effort to make ends meet, reports RTE.
Housing was found to be the most important problem in a study of over 3,000 students, with over half stating that housing prices were their “most significant source of pressure”.
One in five students reported that they were now travelling more than 10 kilometres each day to college, and 86% of those who rented reported that their rent had increased the previous year.
According to Katie Halpin-Hill, president of the UCC Student Union, accommodation is a major obstacle for students wishing to pursue higher education.
“It is critical that the shortage of affordable purpose-built accommodation is tackled. Instead of relying on private premium providers of student accommodation, the Government must invest in publicly-owned student accommodation,” she said, reports RTE.
The UCC ACCESS Office and the college’s Student Budgetary Advisor assisted the students union in compiling the cost of living report.
Five7% of student respondents said they were unsure about their ability to cover an unforeseen price, like as increase in rent or medical costs, while one in four respondents admitted to going to lectures without eating, reports RTE.
Nearly half of the respondents felt that the expense of living was having a detrimental impact on their capacity to achieve academically, and two thirds agreed that it was having a bad impact on their health and wellbeing.
60% of students, according to the report, work a paid job in addition to their education, with over 20% of them putting in more than 20 hours a week. 77% of workers make less than €13 per hour, reports RTE.
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