THE CONVERSION OF Ireland’s former regional institutes of technology to technological universities (TUs) has been a “costly waste of money” that has failed to honour the promises set out when they were launched, a new report has claimed.

Researchers from one of the organisations in question, Munster Technological University (MTU), have warned that disadvantaged students who were served by the regional campuses of the old institutes of technology (IT) are losing out since these were consolidated into the new, bigger TUs.

Researchers Joan Cleary and Brendan Guilfoyle from MTU’s Kerry campus – who are mathematic lecturers and researchers -said that a promised “TU bounce” for the institutions in question has failed to materialise, with neither student enrolments nor the number of research students meeting projected levels.

Enrolment is down in TU Dublin since the amalgamation of Dublin, Blanchardstown and Tallaght ITs. Enrolment is stagnant in MTU, which replaced the old Cork and Tralee Institutes of Technology (ITs) and at the South East Technological University, which replaced Waterford and Carlow ITs.

The MTU researchers also raised concerns over an approximate €10 million spend on external consultants during the merger process for the TUs.

The new research has not yet been peer reviewed, while its co-author Guilfoyle has presented its findings at TU campuses including SETU in recent weeks.

The TUs were launched between 2019 and 2022 with the aim to bring the regional campuses dotted around the country to a new gold standard.

The researchers argued that the changes have “wreaked havoc” on institutional structures across the country by merging longstanding campuses together.

They noted that the former 14 ITs spread throughout the country had as their mission ‘regional provision’, to allow access to higher educational opportunities in communities outside the urban centres where the traditional university system is based.

The report said that the TU system risks a “disproportionate cost on disadvantaged students” and this should be a concern for the long-term health of Ireland’s TU system.

Number of students and researchers

In their applications for TU designation, all consortia stated they expected increased student numbers, with all except TUD expecting a boost in the short term due to TU designation. 

Higher Education Authority (HEA) data showing that the total number of students across third level climbed 13% between 2019-20 and 2024-25.

However, TU enrolments only increased by 2.3% – compared with 20% across the rest of the sector.

Only one TU, the Atlantic Technological University (an amalgamation of ITs in Letterkenny, Galway-Mayo and Sligo) has seen a significant increase in student numbers – up 40% since amalgamation. 

The MTU researchers said this was probably due to ATU pivoting towards remote study, which has attracted 11,000 students.

 Enrolments at the Technological University of the Shannon (previously Limerick and Athlone ITs) increased by 12%.

Enrolments at TU Dublin have fallen by 8.5% since amalgamation happened in 2018.

Private consultants spend

Freedom of Information requests by the researchers indicated that a combined €10 million was spent on the merger process by all TUs, except Dublin, which declined to provide a breakdown.

Some €5.6 million was spent on consultants by MTU and €3.1 million in SETU, with €1.2 million by ATU. In stark contrast, just €180,000 was spent on consultants for the TUS merger.

“The expense of consultants in the merger process had been of concern to staff and its representative body Teachers’ Union of Ireland particularly when there was expertise in the institutes to carry out many of the tasks,” the report said.

From 2020-23, TUD spent €19 million on external consultants but without the breakdown, it is not possible to determine exactly how much of this was related to its merger.