Social Democrats higher education spokesperson Jen Cummins has criticised the Government’s newly published National Student Accommodation Strategy 2026–2035, warning that it fails to address the core issue facing students and families which is the spiralling cost of accommodation.
Deputy Cummins said:
“The strategy places too much emphasis on increasing supply through the private sector, without putting in place the measures needed to ensure that new accommodation is genuinely affordable.
“For many students, the crisis is no longer just about availability, but about cost, with rents far beyond what ordinary families can sustain.
“Continuing to rely on private developers to deliver student housing risks repeating the same mistakes that have defined Ireland’s wider housing crisis. Without a significant expansion of publicly delivered, cost-rental accommodation, students will remain exposed to high rents and insecure living arrangements.
“The absence of firm affordability guarantees raises serious questions about who this strategy is ultimately designed to serve.
“Suggestions within the strategy that demand could be managed by reducing students’ time on campus are incredibly concerning – this approach fundamentally misunderstands the student experience and risks undermining access to education, particularly for those who already face barriers.
“I support AMLE’s call for the need to enhance greater protections for students living in digs accommodation, something that the Government has dragged its heels on for too long now.
“Education cannot be reduced to a timetable that works around a housing shortage.
“The growing number of students facing long commutes, precarious housing, or the prospect of deferring their studies altogether due to the lack of affordable options is creating a two-tier system, wherein access to higher education increasingly depends on a student’s financial means rather than their ability or ambition.
“The strategy represents a missed opportunity for the Government to take a more ambitious and fair approach – there must be a decisive shift towards direct State investment in student accommodation and a clear commitment to delivering homes at rents students can actually afford.
“If the Government is serious about widening participation in education, it must recognise that affordable accommodation is not a secondary issue, but a fundamental part of ensuring equal access.”
March 25th, 2026