Finding a place to call your own

You got your college place! Yahoo! Now you need somewhere to live. Get your list and get looking, but don't panic. Check accommodation out properly before putting down a deposit.

At the time of writing, things don't seem to be all that bad outside the capital. If you start hunting straight away, you should find yourself something reasonable. But in Dublin, the news is not good at all.

"We've had calls from students looking for accommodation in Dublin who are absolutely desperate at this stage and don't know what to do," says Siobhan Fearon of USI. "A lot of them have already been looking for weeks and can't get anywhere. Either the accommodation is too expensive or it's simply substandard."

Last month the Fine Gael spokesman on housing and house prices, Brian Hayes, called on the Government to address the student accommodation crisis. "Direct intervention is urgently required to provide students with viable housing options," he said.

Fiona Kenny is accommodation officer at UCD. "Our biggest problem is lower income families who are now being priced out of going to college," she says. "The grant has remained nearly stagnant for the past 10 years, but rents have virtually tripled over the past four years - the grant just doesn't go anywhere near meeting students needs. Some students have to get bank loans to pay their rent."

Dublin

On-Campus: TCD is still processing application forms for first years looking for accommodation at Trinity Hall, the off-campus accommodation provided by the college. Fill out your form correctly and get it in fast.

At UCD, on-campus places for first years have all been allocated already and DCU's on-campus accommodation was already booked out before first round offers were made.

Off-campus: If your heart is set on that room of your own, you might be disappointed. Your best bet at this stage seems to be looking at share ads on college noticeboards. Alternatively, there do seem to be plenty of digs around.

One-bedroom flats are going for £450 a month and more, so digs can be the cheapest bet. In Dublin you'll be looking at between £55 and £60 for five days, and £70 to £75 if you stay on the weekend, but this includes breakfast and an evening meal.

Limerick

On-campus: All accommodation at UL is fully booked. Off-campus: There is no shortage of off-campus accommodation as yet. A number of independent hostels offer student accommodation in Limerick, but you would need to phone quickly. Contact UL's off-campus accommodation officer, Frances McNamara, for a list of hostels, digs and house-sharing options. The college recommends £50 to £60 for five days in digs; seven days should cost between £60 and £70. At Limerick IT, contact the student union for advise and information.

Galway

On-campus: NUI Galway's student accommodation in Corrib village is booked out. Off-campus: Students are advised to get to the college immediately and contact accommodation director Margaret Faherty. "At the moment we are very short on single rooms in flats and houses," she says. "But it's still the tourist season here in Galway and landlords will be looking for students when the tourists leave."

Self-catering will probably cost about £45 a week, digs for five days about £55 and £70 for seven days.

Costs are likely to be similar for students at Galway-Mayo IT, where the chaplaincy provides lists of accommodation and offers general advice.

Cork

On-campus: All on-campus accommodation at UCC is gone now. Off-campus: The accommodation office is "getting quite an amount of accommodation in each day." The advice is to get there quickly. Digs are very popular this year, ranging in price between £50 sharing a room for five days - and £77 for a seven-day week. A single room is a bit dearer.

Cork IT provides a list of lodgings and self-catering accommodation through its accommodation service. Contact it as soon as you can.

Athlone

The students union at Athlone IT is "extremely busy, faxing out hundreds of lists to students" at the moment. Get there fast. Digs, very popular this year, cost between £45 and £60 depending on whether or not you stay for the weekend. Sharing a house costs around £30 a week.

Carlow

There is plenty of accommodation here. Digs cost around £40 for five days. Sharing a house costs £25 to £27 a week.

Dundalk

If you've just been offered a place at Dundalk IT, you are advised to get to the accommodation office straight away. A certain amount of rented accommodation is available, but digs are most plentiful. Digs cost around £47 for five days. Rented accommodation will cost between £25 and £30 a week.

Letterkenny

No accommodation crisis here - yet. But don't put it on the long finger. Contact the student housing office for a list of digs, which will cost between £40 and £45 for five days, and flats, which will cost between £25 and £30 a week.

Sligo

Sligo IT students will "all be sorted," according to student union president Jude Davis. Five-day digs cost about £45 a week and between £65 and £70 for seven days. House and flat sharing costs around £25 a week.

Tralee

Contact the student union accommodation officer at Tralee IT immediately. Places are still available, but they're going fast. Expect to pay £40£55 for digs for five days. House sharing costs between £25 and £35 a week

Waterford

Anything within the immediate vicinity of Waterford IT is gone but, if you're willing to walk the extra 10 minutes or so a day, you won't have any problem getting a place. Digs cost between £45 and £50 for five days. Rented accommodation will cost between £25 and £30 a week.