Students held the first of three protests across the country in Cork on Monday, to call for increased State funding of third-level education.
Clare Austick, president of the Union of Students Ireland (USI), said Irish students faced "increasing" costs of living, alongside the highest college fees in the European Union.
The students’ union is to follow the protest in Cork with demonstrations in Galway and Dublin this week, criticising the cost of higher education.
The student accommodation crisis was “worse than ever,” with students being left to sleep in hostels, bed & breakfasts, and hotels, due to the lack of affordable accommodation, Ms Austick said.
Many students were also left with “horrific” commutes to college from home of between two and four hours a day, she said.
Overall the higher education sector was “understaffed and underfunded,” and in need of increased State investment, Ms Austick said.
Students had to work part-time jobs due to the financial pressures, and so were unable to take part in college clubs or societies, missing out on the “holistic college experience,” she said.
The student contribution charge of €3,000 a year should be “reduced and abolished” over a number of years, she said.
Often the Government had responded with “small announcements” and slight changes, which was “not sustainable” to tackle the problem, she said.
“Enough is enough and the Government need to wake up … We want sustainable core funding invested into the system year on year,” she said.
The protest in Cork took place outside the Grand Parade Library, Cork city, on Monday afternoon. The demonstration is to be followed by a protest outside Leinster House on Tuesday at 2pm, and a protest at the Spanish Arch in Galway city on Wednesday.
