This Wednesday, the UCD Students’ Union held a rally protesting the high cost of campus accommodation. As executive elections approach, the current SU team is wrapping up its term by collaborating with the Student Action Group for Housing on this initiative. Around 30 to 40 people gathered by the main lake to take part. Speakers included SU President Miranda Bauer, Welfare Officer Ciara Donohue, organiser Aoife McGowan, USI (Union of Students in Ireland) President Chris Clifford, and Jack McNicholl from the South Dublin Renters Solidarity Network.
Bauer opened the rally by referencing a recent SU formal request that was rejected by the University Management Team. The proposal had called for UCD Estates to lower rent prices to the national average of €895, reduce rents for HEAR (Higher Education Access Route) applicants, and freeze rent increases for the next three years. In response, the SU has launched a petition with the same demands. Bauer said she hopes widespread student support will pressure the university to reconsider: “We want the Management Team to see just how deeply this affects students.”
Donohue criticised the significant profits UCD Estates is making from student rents. She highlighted poor living conditions in on-campus housing—mould, flooded bathrooms, and broken appliances—and the toll this takes on students’ wellbeing and ability to succeed. USI President Clifford broadened the focus, accusing the national government of inaction and even complicity in the student housing crisis. Chants rang out around the lake: “Highest rent in the nation, it’s greed not inflation,” and “Orla Feely in your mansion, we demand housing action.”
Organiser Aoife McGowan said she was pleased with the turnout, though she acknowledged the challenges of student engagement: “It all comes down to breaking the apathy.” She noted that the administration’s refusal to act on formal student requests, combined with limited student participation, reflects a wider culture of disengagement. “The university wants to see people too busy and too distracted to take action,” she said. “Students are just trying to get by because of the cost of living and the housing crisis. UCD doesn’t listen when students try to go through the formal channels.”
Student Voices
Some students at the rally were disappointed with the attendance. One English student said the event could have been better advertised and added that many students living on campus are unaware or unaffected by the financial pressures others face.
A former resident of UCD accommodation shared that she and many friends moved off-campus due to poor conditions and rising rents. She now commutes an hour and a half each way. “It’s hard to maintain a social life when you’re commuting,” she said. “It really affects your mental health.”
A representative from Revolutionary Communists in Ireland also spoke at the rally. “The SU has the potential to become an organisation of real agitation—especially in unity with campus workers,” he said, suggesting that fee strikes could be a powerful next step.
Whether these efforts will bring change remains to be seen—but students say the pressure is only growing.
Maya Diakova – Contributor
