Universities say state funding a ‘fraction’ of what’s required to tackle investment gap

Universities association says government’s funding plans have done little to address the underlying core funding deficit in the sector

Ireland lags far behind other OECD countries when it comes to core funding on third-level education, universities have said. Picture: RollingNews.ie

State funding for third-level education is making up only a “fraction” of the amount identified as necessary in a groundbreaking report five years ago, universities have argued.

The Irish Universities Association (IUA) has claimed that many of the funding arrangements put in place by the government have “done little to address the underlying core funding deficit” in the sector.

And the IUA, which represents the country’s eight universities, said state funding per student has fallen ...