Rising above the breadline

Whoever said that life was fair? The sad fact is that if you're a student from a low-income family, life in third level is going to be financially very difficult for you. Indeed, in money terms you'd be better off on the dole.

For lots of middle-class families the Celtic Tiger has resulted in increased spending power. They have also benefited from the removal of third-level fees and their student offspring have been the ultimate winners. Low-income students who qualify for maintenance grants, however, have enjoyed no such windfalls. Under the old system, their fees were paid anyway. Yes, they do get an annual increase in the grant in line with inflation, but the amount is minimal.

It's ironic that at a time when we have a government which is committed to increasing education participation rates, we now have even greater disparities between rich and poor students on college campuses throughout the State. In order to qualify for a full third-level maintenance grant the annual family income must be no more than £18,308 - if there are fewer than four dependent children in the family. The full maintenance grant for a student living away from home is £1,652 or £49.50 per week. Students living less than 15 miles away from college are entitled to an adjacent rate which allows them £660 per annum or £18.36 per week. You'd hardly survive, let alone have a ball, on this sort of cash. Included in these amounts is this year's increase - a startling 77p per week for students living away from home and an amazing 36p per week for those remaining with the family. Three months after leaving school, an 18-year-old could qualify for £68.40 on the dole. For some youngsters it's a stark choice. It certainly puts the premium we place on education for the children of low earners and the unemployed in perspective. At DCU they estimate that a student living away from home needs £4,471 per annum (£526 per month) in order to get by. Students living at home, they reckon, will need around £2,430 each year (£285 per month). The Union of Students in Ireland offers figures based on a 36-week year. For the 1998-9 academic year, USI suggests that students living away from home need almost £470 each month. Students residing at home, meanwhile, require just over £300 monthly.

For students living away from home, accommodation costs eat up the lion's share of the monthly expenditure - USI estimates accommodation costs at around £136 per month, DCU allows for just over £300 for seven-day, partial board accommodation and £185 for a shared rented house or flat. And the bad news is that the recent surge in house prices will almost certainly result in further increases in the cost of rented accommodation.

Accommodation apart, students are faced with the mundane costs of daily living. These include electricity, telephone, heating and fuel bills and cash for food, clothes, medical expenses and bus or train fares. A significant item on any student's balance sheet is the cost of books and course materials. USI estimates that students spend on average around £270 on books. This amount though can vary enormously depending on your subjects.

Arts students get off fairly lightly and have to buy relatively few books; but science, medical and law students are faced with the prospect of paying up to £80 for each must-have textbook. Included in USI's estimated college costs is a total of £123 to cover social activities. Included in this amount are charges for contraception, cinema, theatre, concerts and sports events. Students living away from home are reckoned to spend £80 per month on alcohol and £20 on tobacco. Obviously this type of expenditure is optional. Very many students are simply unable to spend anything like this amount on their social lives. Youngsters from low-income homes are struggling to feed themselves and pay their transport costs.

However, according to USI, their figures are based on a recent survey of student spending. Some students are spending far more than this, the union says. These figures clearly highlight the discrepancies between student lifestyles. USI is calling on the Government to increase student maintenance grants and threshold levels - to £3,250 in the case of the nonadjacent full maintenance grant and to £1,500 for the adjacent grant, for example. All the evidence shows that if students from low income homes are to compete on an equal footing at third level they need at least these amounts. Furthermore neither DCU nor USI's figures includes the £260-plus student levy which has to be paid by all third-level students except those with social-welfare status.

Most parents have to dig deep into their pockets to support their offsprings' college careers. Many students too, have to work long hours at ill-paid jobs to finance their way through college. USI's most recent Poverty Survey shows that in 1996/97, 57 per cent of students indicated that they had part-time employment. This is an increase of 7 per cent over the previous year and is largely caused by the fact that living costs are rising, the union says.

Part-time jobs, though, can be detrimental to a student's academic career. Nearly two-thirds of students admitted that work interferes with their studies in a negative way. The survey shows that almost half the students who have part-time jobs are working into the early hours of the morning. Some students are working up to 36 hours per week - practically full-time.

The administration of the grants scheme - which is complicated - is currently under review. The Minister for Education has made a commitment that eligible 1998/99 PLC students will receive grants. However, the administrative procedures have yet to be clarified and this year's crop of students would be well advised to make sure they have the wherewithal to pay their way until the grants are forthcoming.

Going to college forces most youngsters to budget their finances for the first time in their lives. Managing on a small amount of money - and eating healthily - is a challenge, but it can be done. Cycling or walking to college is cheap, and healthy too. Bringing in your own lunch can save you a fortune.

The good thing about college is that you can have the time of your life on relatively little.