How much will postgraduate study cost me?

Fees

You should check the website of the institution you are interested in to find out exactly how much you can expect to pay in tuition fees. In the Republic of Ireland, ICT courses covered by the Graduate Skills Conversion Programme are charged at €1,600. Apart from these, there is some variation among the different universities’ fees. Those for research degrees average more than €4,000, while fees for taught degree programmes can be under €4,000 or as high as €10,000 – usually for business courses. The charge for MBA (Masters of Business Administration) courses can be as high as €27,000. 

Fees in the two Northern Ireland universities are generally around £3,000 for full-time taught and research degrees, with a payment by individual credit system operating for part-time courses.

Particularly in the case of US universities, it is important to consider fee information in the context of the financial aid offered by each institution, as application for financial aid is often made at the same time as study application.

Other costs

You will also need to factor in your living costs: while awards cover fees, they are unlikely to support living costs in full. In many cases universities’ own websites or those of their student unions’ will provide cost-of-living tables. For example, NUI Galway estimates living costs at around €1,000 per month. Maintenance will depend very much on whether you will live at home and commute on a daily basis or need to find accommodation closer to college. 

Accommodation is probably the largest item of expenditure for most students. This can vary from as little as €70 per week sharing a room in rented accommodation to around €150 per week in a family home on a half board basis (‘digs’). The other option is to live on campus where rents for an academic year can range from €3,000 to €5,000 depending on college and type of accommodation.

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