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Sunday 1 October 2023 Dublin: 13°C

# Higher Education

Last month
September 2023
Minister pushes for expansion of rent tax credit and tweak of eligibility criteria for students
The Minister for Higher Education has highlighted a discrepancy in accessing the rent tax credit for students.
Students urged to seek €500 fee subsidy, as only one in four have applied
Those whose household income is between €62,000 and €100,000 can apply.
This year
2023
Simon Harris: 1,500 Ukrainians in student accommodation need to be moved before college starts
Harris said that those who get planning permission for student accommodation do so on the basis that it will be students who live there.
Harris announces €40 million for third level institutions to improve college campuses
Seven universities, five Technological Universities, two Institutes of Technology and six other colleges are benefitting from the grant.
Queen's students outraged as hundreds won't have degrees confirmed due to marker's strike
‘Is this seriously the best you can do?’, one impacted student said.
Handpass controversy to be tackled in playing rules experiment
Hurling and football set for a suite of rule changes to be used in college competitions.
Harris launches guide for third level institutions to end sexual violence and harassment
Institutions will be instructed to record statistics on harassment, assault, and rape and report them to the Higher Education Authority.
Rise in students facing 'serious financial hardship' as average expenses surpass income
Those experiencing serious financial difficulties rose from 26% to 33% in two years.
Tweets about 'thousands' of books being trashed caused a bitter row at UCD
The row kicked off last year when an academic tweeted that books were being ‘thrown into a bin lorry’.
Last year
2022
Third level 'needs full attention' of Harris while he takes Justice brief, say lecturers
Harris is taking the role of Minister for Justice in addition to his current job until Helen McEntee returns from maternity leave.
Thousands of students stage walk-out from lectures in cost of living protest
The protest aims “to remind college authorities and politicians that students aren’t an endless money pit”.
University lecturers' union to ballot members for industrial action in September
The Irish Federation of University Teachers said it will ballot all members unless an agreement is reached on pay.
Additional €2 million in financial supports for underrepresented and disadvantaged students
The new funding will allow people who are on existing scholarships to retain funding for additional courses, including graduate entry medicine.
Minister says Irish third-level students fleeing Ukraine can continue their studies in Ireland
Simon Harris said work is also underway to ensure Ukrainian people can access higher education in Ireland too.
Over 20% increase in applications for courses related to the environment, new CAO figures show
There was a significant drop in the number of people seeking to study midwifery in 2022.
Half of third-level students intervened in an incident of sexual violence or harassment - survey
Three in ten students said they did not feel well informed about intervening as a bystander.
All time
New technological university announced for the north west
Galway-Mayo, Sligo and Letterkenny institutes of technology are to combine to become a Technical University.
Occupancy limits and sanitation: Higher education announces plans for 'safe return' to campuses
Colleges will implement sanitation and ventilation measures, as well as occupancy limits in certain locations.
Return of large scale lectures ‘contingent’ on mass vaccination
Large-scale antigen testing will likely be rolled out in colleges and universities.
Simon Harris says the pandemic has been particularly hard for college students - but next year will be different
CMO Dr Tony Holohan has endorsed the return to college campuses in the coming academic year.
Trinity College ranks 101st in global university ratings
The best university in the world, for a tenth consecutive year, is Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Increased funding needed to tackle sexual violence in colleges, report finds
Investigations must be “independent, trauma-informed and fair to all parties”, the new Promoting Consent and Preventing Sexual Violence report says.
CAO system set to be overhauled as government plans to ramp up apprenticeship numbers
At present the CAO doesn’t include applications for apprenticeships, or some further education traineeships.
€300,000 allocated to colleges to support Travellers in higher education
The funding is to support Traveller students progressing to higher education and during their studies.
Colleges and universities told to move most lectures online for next two weeks
The move comes as efforts step up to limit the spread of Covid-19 in the community.
Students should have rents refunded in event of second lockdown, says higher education minister
Simon Harris also defended the fact that college fees would remain the same, even as courses move online.
Government to spend €200 million on re-education and job incentives
Employers will be given incentives to hire apprentices and young, unemployed workers.
Over €100 million in Covid-19 support funds sought for third-level sector
The two-metre social distancing rule is also expected to apply on university campuses that reopen in the autumn.
DCU announces multiple new scholarships for asylum seekers and refugees
A recent study by DCU proved that access programmes help improve participation by refugees in higher education.
Minister reminds that SUSI grants and other student funds continue as more applications expected
There is a focus on student learner needs and wellbeing at the moment.
Universities and colleges scrap all in-person exams taking place during the Covid-19 pandemic
Online exams or rescheduled exams will take place instead.
Irish colleges to develop €80,000 online system for reporting sexual assault and harassment
The Department of Education has funded the nationwide project.
Women-only professorships 'not discriminating against men', says Mitchell O'Connor
20 female-only professorships are expected to be in place by September this year.
Plans to modernise chaplaincies at third level institutions have stagnated, despite major review
A 2015 review found several institutions had no public appointment or tendering procedure for the employment of chaplains.
Number of non-EEA students in Ireland reaches record level: here's where they're coming from
There has been a 45% increase in students from non-EEA countries since 2013.
Number of students in higher education continues to grow as sector takes in €1.1bn in fees
New figures show that Ireland’s undergraduate population has grown by 8% over the last five years.
Opinion: A virtual college changed my life and my family's future
I’m a single mother of four who was once homeless but now I’m working and studying for a degree. I want to let everyone know about An Cosán Virtual Community College, writes Róisín Kelly
Mary Mitchell O'Connor on consent: If no means no and yes means yes, where does the confusion lie?
Minister for Higher Education says the statistics paint a picture of our third level institutions hot housing harassment and assault.
More women than men are in full-time work after graduating - but they earn less over time
The CSO and HEA released the report that monitored graduates from 2010 to 2014.
Proposal would give the State powers to investigate universities quickly
It comes after a report last week into universities found “unacceptable” financial practices.