The University of Galway Students’ Union has released a damning report highlighting the severe challenges faced by students seeking accommodation in Galway, with long commutes, sky-high rents, and widespread frustration pushing many to question their decision to attend college at all.
One of the report’s most striking findings is that nearly one third of students (31 per cent ) admitted they would have reconsidered going to university had they known how difficult finding accommodation would be. This sense of disillusionment is fuelled by soaring costs and a system perceived to favour landlords over tenants.
Faye Ní Dhomhnaill, president of the University of Galway Students’ Union, did not mince words when describing the gravity of the situation in the report’s introduction.
“We have seen consistently how the accommodation crisis is impacting our students, despite calls for systemic change from both local and national unions. The accommodation crisis is not a student crisis — it is a national crisis. Our students are struggling, being tied down by increasing costs, a rental system that favours landlords, and legislation that does very little to protect them. This survey aims to highlight the crisis, not only in Galway, but as part of a growing national crisis affecting people of all ages here in Ireland.
“We must work together with our legislators to end Generation Emigration and to fix this rental crisis once and for all,” Ní Dhomhnaill added.
bleak picture. A staggering 78 per cent of students reported struggling to find accommodation, and 28 per cent said their living situation has had a negative impact on their educational experience. For some, the crisis has led to extreme hardship — one in 20 students reported being in temporary or emergency accommodation, while 8 per cent endure daily commutes of over an hour to reach campus.
Rental scams are also rife, with 15 per cent of respondents falling victim to fraudulent schemes. The lack of tenant rights is further underscored by the fact that half of those living in shared twin rooms didn’t know their roommate before moving in.
The financial strain is equally concerning. Almost half of students (49 per cent ) admitted they struggle to pay their rent, and 66 per cent of respondents are shelling out more than €500 a month. Given that people aged 15 to 24 earn a median income of €339 per week (or €1,357 monthly ) according to the Central Statistics Office, the report concludes that two-thirds of students are living beyond their means.
“Working definitely encourages responsibility, but it’s not easy. In college for five days and then working the other two means that you never get a day off to rest or study,” one student shared.
The toll of balancing work and study is clear — 56 per cent of students said part-time work negatively impacts their academic performance, yet many have no choice but to work to afford their rent. Financial support is limited, with 56 per cent of respondents receiving no funding at all and only 24 per cent qualifying for the SUSI grant.
The report concludes with a strong call for Government action. The Students’ Union has urged the State to address the ‘growing accommodation crisis’ by investing in purpose-built student housing and adopting a technical university borrowing policy. This would enable technical universities to construct their own accommodation, reducing dependence on the private rental market, which the report describes as placing students ‘almost entirely at the mercy of a landlord’s market’.
According to the Students’ Union vice president for education, Tom Forde, “Ireland champions a young and educated work force, but we continue to see figures like 68 per cent of 18 to 34 olds living with their parents, we found in our report that 12 per cent of our students live at home.
“A lack of investment will lead us to us losing our students who want to join the work force and further study in Ireland.”
The real-life experiences of students drive home the urgency of this crisis. Fourth-year University of Galway student Sam recounted the eye-watering costs he and his housemates endured. Over one academic year, the group paid their landlady €42,140 for a four-bedroom house in a student village — with two of the rooms converted into twin rooms despite one being closer to a single room in size.
For the twin rooms, tenants were charged €620 each, generating €2,480 in rent from just two rooms every four weeks. Those in the single rooms faced even steeper costs of €720 per month. All payments were made in cash.
When Sam questioned whether the landlady was registered with the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB ), she reportedly ‘laughed.’ Despite the extortionate monthly rent of nearly €4,000, the house was far from well-maintained — a leaking roof remained unfixed throughout their tenancy.
As students continue to grapple with these conditions, the Students’ Union’s report serves as a rallying cry for systemic change, calling for immediate Government intervention to protect students and ensure accessible, affordable housing in Galway and beyond.
