The Cost of Education in Ireland
We all want to give our children the best possible start in
life and a good education is a top priority. However, this can be a lot more
costly than you might realise.
The cost of putting just one child through school can easily
run into tens of thousands of euro. If you have two or more children then
you're going to have to dig even deeper to keep the educational roadshow up and
running.
Latest research has revealed the cost of educating your
children in Ireland, from your nervous goodbyes on their first day in primary
school right through to your gushing pride on their college graduation day.
Here's the breakdown of what you can expect to spend throughout your child's
school years
Primary School Education
It all starts here; your child's first days at school are a
big milestone. Their first day at school is also your first day of many years
of (very worthwhile) expense and investment.
The average cost of sending a child to primary school each
year is €490, with uniforms and
books being the most substantial expenses. Capitation grants paid to primary
and post primary schools have been reduced in recent years and parents have
seen this reflected in the increased voluntary contributions they are asked to
pay, now €90 on average in primary schools.
The total cost of 8 years'
primary school education comes in at an estimated €4,000.
Annual cost
€490; Lifetime cost €3,920 (Source Barnardo’s School Costs
survey 2015)
Secondary School Education
The cost of education gets even higher as your child moves
into secondary school. The average annual cost of education for a child
entering first year is €1,135.
School books and transport are among the most sizeable expenses.
The move to secondary school also brings a greater number of
'other' expenses such as lunch money, sports gear, school trips and class
essentials like ingredients for Home Economics or T-Squares for Technical
Graphics.
If we allow for the fact that the bulk of school books will
be bought in first and fifth year in the build-up to junior cert and leaving
cert cycles respectively, the total cost of 6 years' secondary school
education, extra expenses excluded is estimated to be €5,500.
Annual Cost €1,135; Lifetime
cost €5,510 (Source Barnardo’s
School Costs survey 2015)
Third-Level Education
Whilst the average cost of sending a child to primary school
and secondary school may seem excessive, the expense associated with
third-level education leaves both in the ha'penny place. All
"free-fees" third level institutions charge a mandatory student
contribution of €3,000 per year
for 2015/16 with no sign of easing in the medium-term.
Unfortunately, this student contribution is just one of the
costs likely to be incurred when putting your child through third-level education,
although they may well be able to help out with tuition fees by undertaking
some part-time work by this stage; at least to cover some of the costs
associated with their blossoming social lives!
Living at Home Annual
cost €3,495; Lifetime cost €12,495
Living Away Annual cost €6,726; Lifetime cost €24,906
(Source: DIT Student
Cost of Living guide 2014/2015)
Given these figures, we estimate the minimum cost of education for
children in Ireland from primary school to college graduation is €34,000*.
*Source Zurich Life based on data published in 2014/15
Don't leave it too late to plan!
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