Students face continuing difficulties in finding affordable accommodation of a reasonable standard in Dublin. While the feeling is that the situation is slightly better than in previous years, students can still expect to pay at least €380 for a single room, according to Mr Finbar Dwyer, accommodation and employment officer with UCD Students' Union.
"Dublin is so expensive," he said. "Someone who has qualified for college here does not have the money to study here. Students are also nervous to do anything about poor accommodation, particularly towards the end of the year. The last thing they want to do is go looking for a new house."
Ms Sarah Cowhey (20) from Limerick says she is looking for "anything that is not a bedsit. I've been looking alright, I've just come up from Limerick," she said. "Ideally, I'd like a single room in a house. Last year I paid €360 a month . . . I only got the room the Saturday before I started college, though."
Students at Trinity College Dublin usually look for accommodation three to four weeks before term starts, according to Mr Michael Miley of the college's students' union. However, one problem they encounter is that, if they find accommodation now, they have to move in straight away.
"What I'm saying to people is that they don't have to move in immediately. I've seen students pay a fortune for a hovel. It's a Catch 22 situation. If they look now, they will have to pay rent for seven weeks. But they will find a place."
"I only came down today," said Ms Clodagh Brennan (21) from Letterkenny. "Because it is such a long trip, I need to find something in a few days. A lot of places are telling us it is not available until next week." Her friend Ms Niamh Hickey (21) said: "It's hell. Absolute hell. Not a lot of places want to take students. If you're honest and say you are a student, they almost hang up the phone on you."
Ms Cathy McBride (23) used to study in Coleraine, and is moving to Dublin to pursue a postgraduate degree at UCD. "I was paying £40 sterling for a place in Portstewart that was better than your own home. I don't know what to expect here," she said, " but my friends said to expect very high rents and poor standards. They always ask if you are a professional, they don't like students at all."