Student Contribution

If you are eligible under the Higher Education Free Fees scheme you will have to pay the Student Contribution; the 'free fees' scheme will pay the other element of the published programme fee.

• In accordance with the Budget 2026 announcement, the Government has decided to make a permanent reduction of €500 towards the Student Contribution Charge paid by each Free Fees eligible student in the academic year 2025/26. Student records will be updated in due course.

All students are also liable for the Student Centre Levy. This levy is  €254 in 2024/25.
See below for more about how the levy is used to fund student supports and facilities. 

The combined payment of Student Contribution Charge and Student Centre Levy for 2024/25 is €2,254.

If you are not eligible for 'free fees' you will have to pay the full fee rate. You will find a full listing of Undergraduate and Graduate fees at the following links:

EU Fees
Fee Payment Dates

The Department of Education and Skills sets and approves the composite fee in July each year. The Programme Fee published on our website is the composite fee plus the Student Contribution and the Student Levy.

The Student Contribution will be paid in respect of students who get approval under a third level grant scheme. For continuing students who already have a grant, this will be through their County Council or VEC. For students commencing in September 2024, this will be through the higher education grants agency SUSI. Please refer to the following link for further information (opens in a new window)http://www.studentfinance.ie/

• The Student Contribution is in principle allowable for tax relief
• Families with two or more children who are paying the Student Contribution charge will qualify for tax relief in respect of payments being made for second and subsequent children
• The upper threshold for tax relief on qualifying fees per programme is €7,000
• For further details on the tax relief please refer to the (opens in a new window)Revenue Commissioners
• Families must deal directly with the Revenue Commissioners on claiming tax relief, not with the University

The Student Centre Levy was first introduced in 1996 after a successful student body vote. Students voted again in 2006 and 2019 to continue with the Levy.

Embedded within the standard academic fee, the Student Centre Levy fee is a funding system that has been used over the past 25 years at UCD for non-academic student-focused development, activity and endeavour.

The Student Levy fee provides you, as a student of UCD, the opportunity, support, and facilities required to strive at life outside of the lecture theatre.

The Levy directly funds the operations and loans attached to the running of the UCD Student Centre and its associated facilities which helps support the provision of facilities for student sports clubs and societies.

As an enrolled student of UCD, the Levy also grants you access to two gyms and over 100 fitness classes per week at UCD Sport & Fitness.