Minister responds to concerns relating to Mayo third-level students
The Minister for Further and Higher Education James Lawless has responded to concerns over barriers faced by rural students in Mayo in accessing third-level education.
The issues, including transport, accommodation and digital connectivity, were raised with him by Mayo TD Kiera Keogh.
The minister stated: "I acknowledge the very real challenges that students in Mayo, and indeed across the country, can face when seeking to access higher education.
"For many students, the decision to pursue further study is shaped not only by academic opportunity, but also by practical considerations such as accommodation, travel costs, and distance from home.
"That is why I published the National Student Accommodation Strategy in March.
"The strategy is designed to support greater equity of access, ensuring that where a student lives does not limit their ability to pursue higher education and achieve their full potential.
"The overall strategy aims to support the delivery of 42,000 additional beds by 2035 through an increase in purpose built student accommodation and rent-a-room accommodation options.
"This includes long-term State-backed measures to increase supply, delivered in partnership with the private sector through the HEI Student Accommodation Programme.
"This expansion accommodation supply will provide students with greater access to affordable, high-quality housing as well as reducing the need for lengthy commutes currently experienced by some students.
"Affordability is being addressed by providing financial supports directly to students via the Student Grant Scheme (SUSI) non-adjacent grant which targets students whose primary residence is 30km or more from their chosen HEI as well as continued support for the Student Assistant Fund, Student Accommodation Assistance and the 1916 Bursary delivered by my department.
"University of Galway has 1,882 purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) beds on campus.
"As of June 2026, Atlantic Technological University is advertising 531 digs accommodation beds across its campuses in the Galway, Mayo, Sligo and Donegal while University of Galway is advertising 258 digs accommodation beds."