You’d definately feel fir the hard working interested students who just wont be able to afford to progress with further education. This situation really needs further analysis. There should be an insentive based payment i.e. Proof of attendance at lectures and payment only if exams are passed. If student fails and it’s obvious they have not attended lectures they should have to repay the money via future tax credit cuts or cuts in future allowences. Unfortunately, the country is nolonger in a position to provide free or subsidised education without an acceptable outcome. We all know students that just don’t appreciate their subsidised/’free’ education and now those that do appreciate it are suffering…students have to realise they need to work hard and get results or you pay all the money back! The country just can’t afford to pay without getting the benefits!!!

I disagree. As a graduate I found it impossible to gain prof employment from my undergrad degree alone & this experience has been repeated across almost all graduates I’ve met. If u consider the cut to postgrad in this context, it puts an awful lot of undergrads in the position of possibly being left with a degree that doesn’t qualify them for anything & little options to go further. We are slowly returning to a system where only the rich will be able to afford a decent education & inequality grows.

“take time out and save up for it” – how?

Also massive cuts to the disability support section in third level (suppliers of assistant technology and learning supports etc), due to “insufficient uptake” – total rubbish and outright lies from the government, not that I’m suprised

It’s a particularly harsh blow for matures hoping to do a postgrad. I’m in my final year and I need my postgrad next year to qualify me. I’ve worked for ten years before this. I’ve small kids. I need to start earning again asap. Taking time out to save is simply not an option. I really dont know what I can do now. Go try get a crappy job that i could have got without this degree or try to get some class of finance that will allow me to carry on and finish what I started.

You have not thought about a post grad yet but it is something that you will have to think about in this country. You cannot get a job here without one and you will just be another graduate coming out of college with the same degree as the rest of your class. There are not even jobs here for people with professional qualifications and for you to make a statement like “its not that bad” is a disgrace. Do you realise that they have abolished the maintenance grants???The repercussions of this on students is profound and for you to say that it is not is an outrage. They have essentially told the poor and less fortunate that they will not be eligible for further education. That this is only an option for the rich and the “elite” in our society. You clearly have a lot to learn about life and all its lessons!!

Oh Dear this young lady really needs to wake up…it is a well know fact that a primary degree is now no longer enough to get a job in this country many top firms(well those left) want postgrad students to fill their posts so a postgrad is essential now there is a core of students who cannot afford to go for it I thought the only way to get more employment in this country is for everyone to have a good education how can that happen when you wont help Look at how Finland dealt with their recession a few years ago yes they increased Taxes made banks pay and poured money into education now they have the best education system in the world As for the grant for primary degree holders that gets cut in January so for you out there looking forward to the next grant supplement in January its down by 100€ so I hope that young lady is prepared to suck it in and is happy to be making the contribution cause I know alot of students who wont b……

Stay out of the pub for a bit and ye might be able to pay for it

Perhaps doing a degree that’s actually worth something would make postgraduate study a choice rather than a necessity.