By Aoibhe Connolly

Another academic year is well underway and Galway’s equilibrium is restored, with the lively buzz and commotion of the 22,000-strong student population that makes up an incredible 28% of the city’s inhabitants during term time.

However, in 2024, not all college students can avail of the full benefits of the typical ‘university experience’, with many impeded by the ongoing struggle for accommodation and subsequent difficulty in sourcing affordable living.

This rang through for third year, Kayla Barrett, who, back in June, joined the thousands of others searching for affordable accommodation close to the University of Galway campus.

“Finding accommodation this year has not been easy for me at all. It hasn’t really been easy my last two years either, but this year especially has been extremely difficult,” she said.

“Of course, you have the price of rent, which is increasing every year, but there’s also the scams. Believe it or not though, it wasn’t even the price of rent that was the biggest obstacle for me, it was actually getting people to respond to me.

“I had so many people get back to me and get my hopes up and then end up not replying after that.”

Laura Flaherty, a second year at Atlantic Technological University, also began to search for nearby accommodation at the beginning of the year, but to no avail.

“It was extremely difficult to find somewhere affordable near the campus,” she said. “I tried several of the student accommodations but was just put at the bottom of waiting lists and never heard back from any of them.”

At a time when more people are progressing to third level education than ever before, there is a shortage of beds to match the growing numbers and more students than ever are relying on hostels, commuting long distances, or paying extortionist accommodation fees, just to make it to their classes.

After a difficult search, University of Galway third year student, Conall Diggin, managed to secure a room in student accommodation, which he shares with his brother.

“I had applied for anywhere I could find and even searched with some friends to see if we could find a house together. There were times I was really stressed, and it was the same for my brother who also couldn’t find a place to stay,” he said.

The struggle to obtain accommodation can take its toll on both the academic and social life of students. A long commute takes time out of the morning and evening, often leaving less time for study and catching up on assignments.

Laura is now forced to travel up to an hour each morning and evening to get to and from her home near Kinvara.

“Because I don’t drive, I have to leave two hours before class starts in the morning to catch the bus and I don’t get back until after 7pm in the evening,” she revealed.

“This means I spend a good chunk of each day travelling, leaving me with less time for studying and making it almost impossible to go out in the evenings as I have to catch the last bus home”.

In Kayla’s case, however, commuting was not an option, as she lives over three hours away with no access to regular public transport.

“I had to start looking at B&Bs and hostels, but I couldn’t afford the prices,” she said.

Luckily, Kayla’s friend allowed her to borrow her couch to sleep on while she continued her search for somewhere to live.

She ended up staying there for three weeks and was forced to take three buses each morning to get to her placement.

Looking back, she said, “those three weeks were so much of a struggle for me. Luckily, I have a room now, but it was a long fight to get it”.

Lack of affordable student accommodation has led many to consult the private rental market, where landlords are taking advantage of the high demand for beds and hiking up rent prices, forcing students to attempt to juggle college and a part-time job to cover these extortionist rates.

As Conall described, “the places certainly aren’t cheap. I still have to head home most weekends to work so I can pay for rent and buy food.

“It takes a lot out of me since I’m from Kerry, so it’s around a three- or four-hour trip each way. I’m not home until late Friday evenings and back late Sunday nights, with most of the day spent dragging bags up on a bus which costs sometimes €10 or €20.”

Often lost in the discourse around the student housing struggle is the impact that the stress and anxiety of sourcing and affording accommodation can have on a person’s mental health.

The constant worry about meeting rent deadlines is a needless added burden to the legion of social, emotional and academic pressures that young adults are often placed under.

University of Galway’s Students Union president, Faye Ní Dhomhnaill, explained how this has been an ongoing source of anxiety for students attending the university.

She said, “international students, in particular, struggle to find accommodation as they are the most vulnerable group. They are completely taken advantage of by landlords and property owners”.

Faye Ní Dhomhnaill explained how a recent survey run by the Student’s Union found that over half of students work part time on top of their studies in order to afford the soaring costs of rent.

“This prevents them from taking part in extracurriculars, for example, signing up to clubs and societies around campus,” she said.

She stressed the need for ‘more purpose-built accommodation at a reasonable price’, and said that the university should put a freeze on accepting more students, without building enough accommodation to match the ever-increasing rate of student enrolment each year.

Countless other students have found themselves in situations similar to Kayla’s, Laura’s and Conall’s, with nowhere to live, or struggling to pay high rental fees.

“Something needs to be done, because I know there’s so many people like me in this exact situation, who haven’t found anywhere to go. Students shouldn’t be living like this, it isn’t right at all,” said Kayla.

Pictured: Conall Diggin…heads home most weekends to work – to pay for rent and buy food.