Student Accommodation in Ireland

Several accommodation options await international students arriving to study in Ireland, and it is very important that you make the choice that is best suited to your learning needs and personal requirements. Familiarising yourself with the main forms of accommodation is an essential first step towards making a well-informed decision.

Full time education is a challenging environment that can be physically and mentally draining; maintaining a high quality of life away from the lecture halls and classrooms allows you to devote your maximum energy to achieving the best possible academic results. Where you decide to live while studying in Ireland is obviously a key aspect of a comfortable home life; living in an apartment over a 24-hour bowling alley for instance, is not conducive to productive revision!

Once you have been accepted on to a course, you should immediately contact the accommodation office of the college in question for valuable advice on living options on- and off-campus. Most colleges provide a dedicated staff whose job it is to help international students find somewhere to stay.

What follows is a brief introduction to the three principle forms of accommodation that are available; see which option suits your needs:

On-Campus Accommodation
All universities and many other higher education institutions provide on-campus student residences, in effect ‘student villages’ with their own services such as shops, laundry, security, Internet coverage and parking. Living among many other international students may help to offset loneliness and homesickness. If you wish to be right in the middle of things during your time in college, then on-campus is the place for you. On the other hand, potential disadvantages include the many distractions from study that are a feature of the average vibrant student village, and the restrictions to your social life of curfews and prohibition of friends staying over.

Rent for this type of accommodation ranges typically from €550 to €600 a month, depending on the college and accommodation type in question. Payment is usually made in two lump sum instalments (September and January) and deposit of month’s rent is often required in advance.

Host-Family Accommodation
Often referred to in Ireland as ‘digs’, staying with a host-family is a good option for international students who are young or living away from home for the first time. Besides having their own room, students are normally provided with morning and evening meals, and are generally treated as a member of the family.

Many young students who come to learn English in Ireland stay in this type of accommodation. ACELS has strict guidelines that maintain high standards (regarding meals, cleanliness, access, etc) in the host-family accommodation provided by its accredited schools. Host-family accommodation costs about €100 to €150 per week.

Rented Accommodation
for the international students with an independent streak who want to ‘do their own thing’; there is always the option of finding renting private accommodation. This is the ideal form of residence if you wish to immerse yourself in the life and culture of the city/town where your college is located.

There are three main types of rented accommodation:

• Bed sits – A bed-sit is a one-room facility that usually combines a kitchen and eating facilities with a bedroom. Monthly rent ranges from €500 to €750 a month.
• A three-bedroom apartment costs €1,300 to €2,000 a month.
• House sharing represents the most economical option for students, costing around €380 to €550 a month per housemate. Plus residents will usually have the added luxury of a garden!

One of the (very) few good aspects of the economic downturn in Ireland has been the fall in rent prices, with a drop of 12% in the last 12 months alone.  So you should be able to find good quality accommodation for a reasonable price.

Students opting for this kind of accommodation are advised to arrive in the country two or three weeks prior to the start of the academic year, in order to secure a place in a house/apartment. You should also note it is usually not possible to reserve long-term accommodation in advance, as landlords will not hold rooms without payment of rent. The normal length of a lease is 9 or 12 months and it can be difficult to find anything shorter.

Three very useful websites for seeking rented accommodation are http://www.collegecribs.ie/, http://www.findahome.ie/, and www.daft.ie.

You should familiarise yourself completely with the rights and obligations of landlords and tenants before entering into any renting agreement; visit the Housing section of www.citizensinformation.ie for a simple breakdown of the legal details of renting in Ireland.