Studying abroad can be a life-changing experience, but is it expensive to study in Ireland? This post will explore the cost of studying in Ireland. There are some misconceptions about the cost of studying in Ireland that this article will address. We will look at the cost implications of studying and living in Ireland.
Yes, studying abroad in Ireland can be expensive. However, there are ways to offset the cost so you don’t have to spend so much while studying and living in Ireland. You can study at a low cost in Ireland especially when proper financial plans are made before the study.
Studying in Ireland can be one of the many means to get a reputable degree without spending a fortune. Most international students get scared away from making plans to study in a country such as Ireland. This is because they feel that studying in such a European country is a feat for wealthy families or families who have saved up a fortune to send their child or ward to school abroad.
You can also look for scholarship opportunities to study in Ireland. One that I know of is the Erasmus Mundus Scholarship which is fully funded and allows you to study in at least three European countries with a full grant. The scholarship usually covers all expenses including living expenses, health insurance, memberships, installation costs, and others.
One of the popular destinations for this scholarship is in Ireland. You will also be able to meet international students such as yourself there. A student mentioned that they often meet Erasmus scholars in Ireland when they studied there.
There are also low-cost schools in Ireland that you can apply to so you don’t have to spend a lot of money on tuition. We will examine them in the next section of this article. Applying to such schools can considerably reduce your study costs in Ireland.
Now, let’s take a look at the study costs in Ireland and other costs that you may not know about. We will also take a look at the cost of studying in other countries and how they compare to the cost of studying in Ireland. Keep reading to find out more.
Tuition fees
After you have gotten an offer or admission into an Irish school, you may be required to pay the tuition upfront before your admission is finalized. It could be the full fee or part of the fee for the first year or first semester. Either way here is some useful information about tuition fees in Ireland that can be helpful to you.
It usually costs an average of 6,000 EUR to 9,000 EUR per year to study in Spain as an international student. Trinity College Dublin has an average tuition fee of 7,500 EUR per year. The University College Dublin has an average tuition fee of 6,700 EUR per year and the National University of Ireland, Galway has an average tuition fee of 6,000 EUR per year.
Like most countries, international students pay more tuition fees than domestic students which is usually a result of being nationals of another country. If you are looking to enroll in a private business school, you may pay up to 10,000 EUR since these types of schools are not funded by the state but privately.
Tuition fees of programs in fields such as science and technology will be much higher than the tuition fees for other programs. So taking up programs in this field means you will have to spend more on your overall study costs. You can look towards taking programs in arts, music, or economics.
However, if you are vested in applying for programs in science or technology, you should consider public universities in Ireland to reduce your tuition cost to a considerable extent.
Unlike most European schools, there are no tuition-free schools in Ireland for international students. You can only find some free Bachelor’s degree programs for Ireland citizens and some EU countries.
The only way to get free education in Ireland as an international student is by applying for scholarships that will cover tuition or parts of your living expenses. There are usually scholarships available for international students that are pursuing post-graduate programs or research in Irish schools.
You can also draw up an installment payment plan for yourself and pay the tuition per semester. This will further lessen the burden of paying high tuition at once. Check with the school to find out the minimum deposit allowed and agree on how you can pay in installments. Most schools offer installment payment plans which can be yearly or per semester.
Now let’s take a look at the living costs needed while schooling and living in Ireland.
Living Costs
After taking care of your tuition fee, you want to ensure that you make proper plans for your living costs. You may not have to bother about planning for your living costs if your scholarship covers both tuition and living costs in Spain.
Even if you get a scholarship that covers your living costs, you still want to budget carefully so as not to spend beyond what is allocated to you monthly or per year.
Your living costs include basic things such as your accommodation, feeding, clothing, transport, and other things that get you by in Ireland.
According to the United Nations, Ireland has ranked second in the world for quality of life. The standard of living in Ireland can be a bit high when compared to other European countries. However, you can cut costs on your expenses if you manage your money well by making proper and realistic plans. Accommodation is often the highest expense that you have to take care of as an international student in a new country especially if you don’t have friends or relatives that you can stay with. You may want to start cutting expenses down from your rent so it can positively affect the rest of your living costs.
You can get accommodation in school residence halls for about 300 EUR – 450 EUR per month and prices start from 450 EUR to 900 EUR per room to rent an apartment alone outside school. It is advisable to avoid expensive cities or accommodation plans.
You can decide to go for on-campus lodging where you get to share with two or more other students. Residents share bathrooms, kitchens, and other common areas. Shared apart can cost about 450 EUR per month. This can be another affordable option for you when it comes to finding low-cost accommodations.
It is quite affordable to get food in Ireland. You can get a decent meal of 15 EUR if you decide to eat out. On the other hand, making your food at home is much more affordable than eating out so you can get groceries for about 100 EUR per month. You can budget an average of 150 EUR to 160 EUR per month for your feeding as a student in Ireland.
It is more affordable to use public transportation to get around in Ireland compared to other means of transportation. You can get a monthly pass that usually costs about 50 EUR – 60 EUR with a student discount. Bicycle is also a good means of cutting costs on transportation in Ireland. Most students use bicycles to get themselves around.
Getting accommodation in the school residence hall is a good way to cut costs on transportation. This way, you don’t have to budget for transportation to the school since the residence is on the school premises. An alternative will be to rent apartments that are not far from the school. However, you will need transportation to go to other places that are not close to the school.
Other Expenses
Apart from your living expenses, there are other expenses that you’d need to cover. These include health insurance, books, membership fees, wifi, miscellaneous, and emergencies. It is important to get your health covered through health insurance.
All international students must have health insurance which can be either public or private as required. You want to ensure that you have yourself covered in case of medical emergencies.
This is an equally important cost in your study in Ireland. When you have your health insurance covered, you will be able to take care of your health regardless of how unexpected health issues arise.
Wifi is also another expense that you have to prepare for. Not all accommodations have wifi covered in the rent so you may have to pay additional fees for wifi to be able to use the internet. You can budget as low as 50 EUR per month for the internet.
You are allowed to work while you study for about 20 hours per week in Ireland. You should stick with this and not go beyond 20 hours a week as this can adversely affect your studies.
It is possible to make up to 10 EUR per hour working as an international student in Ireland which can sum up to $200 per week and $800 a month. You can work on campus and off-campus. This will help you cover some of your living expenses.
You may be required to buy certain books that are important to your study so you may want to budget for this also. You can also budget for expenses that may arise as a result of growing interest or due to necessity such as membership fees, social events, and others.
Comparison to Other Countries
Now that you already have enough knowledge about the costs of studying in Ireland, we can take a look at the comparison between the cost of studying in Ireland and other popular countries.
United Kingdom
The tuition fee in the United Kingdom starts from about $10,000-$12,000. There are lots of prestigious universities in the United Kingdom which partly explains why the tuition is on the high side, unlike Ireland where you can get schools as low as $6,000 per year.
There are no tuition-free schools in the United Kingdom so you have to pay your tuition fee upon acceptance into the university, while in Ireland, there are some tuition-free schools although they are only for Irish citizens and EU countries.
Living expenses can be high in the United Kingdom as a result of the high standard of living while essential things in Ireland are not as expensive.
United States
Tuition fees in the United States are relatively expensive compared to tuition fees in Ireland.
The United States usually requires students to go back to their home countries immediately after their studies while you can stay back in Ireland for 24 months to look for a job.
You can work for up to 20 hours as an international student in the United States and Ireland.
Germany
Unlike Ireland, you can study in Germany at no cost as an international student since most schools are tuition-free. However, you will be required to take care of your living expenses which are essential to your study in Germany.
It is more expensive to study in Ireland than in Germany.
Like most countries in Europe, Germany encourages international students to stay back in the country after their programs. The same goes for Ireland.
Norway
Living expenses can be higher in Norway than in Ireland. In Ireland, you don’t need to spend much to feed. You may need to have as little as $50 per week for feeding in Ireland while the same amount in Norway may not get you past few days.
Schools are free in Norway but you have to pay for living expenses in Norway while schools are not free in Ireland for international students.
You can work up to 20 hours in both Norway and Ireland.
Conclusion
Studying and living in Ireland can be affordable. You only need to budget your money carefully and make sure you are aware of all the costs associated with your study. Ireland is one of the least expensive countries to study and live in so make good use of the information in this article and start planning for your study and life in Ireland.
