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The Ireland I arrived in is unrecognisable when compared with today. Photograph: Don Mcphee for the GuardianFaced with the prospect of ?9k fees, a record number of school leavers have chosen to go to a foreign university in the hope of getting a cheaper education.
I decided to go to a foreign college before the fee hike was even on the agenda, enrolling at Trinity College, Dublin in September 2008. It seemed perfect – I could go to one of the top universities in the world, accessible by a short-haul flight and with only a small registration fee to pay.
Registration cost me €800 – small change compared with the ?3,400 I was expecting to pay at an English university. At the time, few students were aware of the loophole that made first-time UK students eligible for fee remission at Irish universities. So with a budget flight booked and euros in hand, I signed up to study history.
But I would hardly call my education a bargain. The registration fee has risen successively each academic year – first €800, then €1,500, €2,000 and finally €2,500 for this year. Our university newspaper, Trinity News, which I spent time editing, repeatedly features front page spreads showing students protesting against the fee rises.
Dublin life isn't cheap either. First years – known as junior freshman – expect to pay €5,537 for a single room in the university accommodation, Trinity Hall. I ended up sharing a room in order to save money – around half of first year students did the same. And €5 pints at the student bar made buying a round eye-watering.
The Ireland I arrived in is unrecognisable compared with today. In mid-2008, Dublin was coming towards the end of its Celtic Tiger years. But when the crash came, so did the fee hikes and the falling value of the pound. With the unpredictable Euro, new students from the UK cannot calculate exactly how much their education will cost.
The UK government does not aid non-NI British students in Ireland. They would not provide me with a student loan or a maintenance grant.
Students looking to cross the pond may be eligible for an Irish grant. Local councils offer student maintenance calculated based on family income. But searching through the plethora of local authorities and getting the right forms is tough – I had to ask for help from my student union.
Individual universities offer hardship funds for students in dire straits, although normally only continuing students are eligible.
My 4-year degree has cost around €28,000, but this figure is likely to be higher for new students who may face further fee rises. It's not far off what students in the UK expect to pay. Studying abroad has plenty of hidden costs, from currency exchange to airport transfers and trips during the summer holidays to find accommodation.
Moving to Ireland was the best thing I ever did. But it was the quality of education, the people, and Dublin culture that made it fantastic – not the fee remission.
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