Kells Community Rep, Cormac Corr PC has called on the Government to take immediate action to prevent a planned increase in third-level college fees, warning that the move would roll back progress on educational access and place additional pressure on struggling students and families.
“Education is not a luxury. It is a fundamental right and the clearest pathway we have to a fairer, more prosperous Ireland,” Corr said, in response to reports that Budget 2026 will see the return of the €3,000 annual college fee, following the expiration of a €1,000 cost-of-living reduction introduced during the past two years.
The cost-of-living measure, which helped ease financial pressure on students during a time of rising rents, food prices, and transport costs, is now set to be removed. Corr described this reversal as not only short-sighted but actively counter-productive.
“I only recently finished my own time in college,” Corr said, “I know exactly how expensive it is to pursue a degree in this country. Every student I met was constantly counting coins, juggling jobs and sacrificing essentials just to stay afloat. Adding a thousand euro to that burden will push many over the edge.”
Corr warned that the proposed increase is more than a technical change in policy. He said it would disproportionately impact working-class students, rural students, mature students, and others who already face structural barriers to accessing higher education. He also pointed to the so-called “squeezed middle” families who earn too much to qualify for SUSI support but not enough to absorb further increases in fees, as being especially vulnerable.
“The Government has a choice to make,” Corr said. “It can choose to protect access to education, or it can choose to balance the books on the backs of students. But it cannot pretend to do both.”
“Education lifts people up. It transforms lives and strengthens communities. If we let fees rise now, we are sending a message that opportunity is reserved for those who can afford it,” he said.
Corr is urging both the Minister for Education and the Minister for Public Expenditure to intervene before Budget 2026 is finalised. He is calling for the €1,000 increase to be scrapped, for SUSI thresholds to be raised to reflect the realities of inflation and income pressure, and for a long-term public funding model that ensures no student is locked out of higher education due to cost.
Corr stressed that the return to €3,000 fees is not inevitable, but a political decision, and one that can still be changed. He called on the Government to show that it values students, supports families, and believes in an Ireland where everyone has a fair shot.
