Course fee jumps 70%

STUDENTS in Clare are among those involved in an unusual protest against a rise in the cost of third level education.
Existing students of the part-time BA Art and Design course in GMIT recently discovered that the cost to them of taking the six-year course is likely to increase by 73%. The proposed fee for the part-time course for 2012/13, based on 30 credits of study, is €1,605. The fee for the programme for this academic year was €1,100 for first years and €878 for other years.
“Unfortunately, fees are going up by more than 70%. This will mean a lot of us will probably have to drop out. You have to remember we are getting hit by taxes and cuts on every side too, so this is in addition to all of those. Getting hit with this in the middle of the course is a strange one. The cost for full-time students is going up 12.5% and yet we are getting a 70% rise. We just want a bit of fairness,” said Kaye Maahs, BA AD student from Corofin.
In an effort to highlight the changes, the art students have organised a protest exhibition.
GMIT registrar Michael Hannon says the increases are not the fault of the college.
“The Government has changed the way fees are broken down and collected. In the recent past, fees consisted of tuition and non-tuition. The non-tuition component was linked to the provision of student services such as access to the medical unit, the counsellor and so on. Now the Government has broken this link with student services and renamed the non-tuition component as a student contribution charge. This year, the student contribution charge is €2,000, next year the charge goes up to €2,250 on the instruction of the Government. They have indicated it will go to €3,000 in the coming years. All students must be treated equally and GMIT is required to charge the fees set by Government,” he said.
“The change in the fee structure will apply to current students. The Institute is involved in a comprehensive communication campaign with the affected students so that they have adequate notice and specific details of what is coming down the tracks. The Institute should have introduced the new fee structure this year, but decided to hold off for a year in order to give students time to organise their finances. The Institute is not in a position to fund part-time students,” Mr Hannon concluded.
The BAAD Art Show opens in GMIT, Cluain Mhuire campus this Thursday and continuing to April 5.
“We know not everyone can come up to Galway to show their support at the exhibition but people can ‘like us’ on Facebook. We are really just trying to get the message out there,” Ms Maahs concluded.