The housing crisis shows no sign of abating across Ireland and those hardest hit at this time of year are students.
While some may have been on waiting lists for on campus accommodation since earlier in the year, others will now be hoping for cancellations or faced with navigating the private rental market in the city or town of their choice.
We know too that many will have to commute from home.
While we can’t promise to fix any of these problems, we can guide you on how to maximise your chances of finding a place to live and figuring out how much it might cost.
RM Block
How much does campus accommodation cost?
The price varies quite significantly, both between colleges and within different blocks in any one college.
As we reported earlier this month, UCD has the most expensive on campus accommodation, charging €11,888 for the academic year in Village 3. The cheapest option on the UCD campus is €5,722 for the academic year.
The cheapest on campus accommodation across the country can be found at the University of Galway, where prices start €3,258 and go up to €7,925.
Are they all booked up already?
The only college with availability at the time of writing was Maynooth University.
Prices there range between €4,668 and €6,353 for the academic year. A spokesman for the university said 50 per cent of the stock is reserved for first year undergraduates and will not be filled “until CAO entrants have received offers and are eligible to book”.
All other colleges are operating a waitlist and rooms may become available once CAO offers are out and students firm up their plans on what college they will attend.
You can join the waitlist by visiting the college’s website.
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What are my options if I can’t get on campus?
Most colleges across the State operate an accommodation listing site for their area. Here, you can find house shares, rooms, and digs-style accommodation close to the campus.
Google studentpad and the name of the college you plan to attend and you will find a link to their site.
It is largely seen as trustworthy, because many of the colleges require proof of identity from landlords before allowing them to advertise.
You can also contact the university’s accommodation officer, who will be able to point you in the right direction of where to start looking.
The other option is to look on traditional letting websites such as myhome.ie and daft.ie, though we know this can be a battleground.
Are colleges doing anything to source extra accommodation?
Yes, several of the colleges have run flyer campaigns across their local areas in an effort to encourage people to rent out rooms in their home to students in need.
The University of Galway sent out 67,000 flyers and has targeted ads on online platforms looking for extra accommodation. The university has seen some success with this over the last number of years, with the number of homes on studentpad almost doubling in four years - from less than 1,481 properties being listed in 2021 to 2,918 in 2024.
Maynooth University ran a similar campaign, sending out almost 20,000 flyers to homeowners in Leixlip, Kilcock and Celbridge as well as Maynooth itself, and said it proved “successful in driving up numbers”.
Last week, the UCD students union hosted a “digs drive” at St Stephen’s Green, distributing flyers and speaking to media to spread the word on accommodation shortages.
Is there anything I should be wary of while looking for a place to live?
Be cautious of any scammers, particularly those advertising on Facebook or WhatsApp groups, as well as private rental websites.
Latest figures from An Garda Síochána show that so far in the first six months of 2025, reports of accommodation fraud are up by 22 per cent, with 160 cases recorded up until the first week of August.
Reported losses total €385,000 so far this year, compared to €617,000 for the full year of 2024.
The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) last month warned the shortage of rental accommodation and the pressure students are under to find a place to live has created “the perfect conditions for rental scams”.
The CCPC says a “red flag” to watch out for is that “scammers will generally advertise a rental property at a much lower price to draw in potential victims and will often offer a rental without any questions asked.
“Real landlords will typically want to verify references before considering renting to anyone,” the CCPC says.
To protect yourself, the CCPC advises verifying the property exists by using online maps and matching it to advertised photos, check the rent against similar offerings in the area, and make sure to view the property in person before handing over cash.
It also advises using debit or credit card to pay a deposit, as it gives you a better chance to get your money back if something goes wrong.
If you fall victim to a scam, report it to gardaí and try to reverse the charge or cancel the card used to pay the money.
