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Irish Independent
a day ago
- Business
- Irish Independent
Ireland's universities among most improved in the world as Trinity retains top place in country's rankings
Trinity College Dublin (TCD) retained its place as Ireland's top institution in the QS World University Rankings for 2026, improving its overall ranking from 87th last year to 75th. University College Dublin (UCD) was ranked 118th, up from 126th a year ago, followed by University College Cork (UCC), up to 246th from 273rd, and the University of Galway, which fell to 284th from 273rd. The University of Limerick, Dublin City University (DCU), the University of Maynooth and the Technological University of Dublin (TUD) made up the rest of the eight Irish universities included in the rankings. Seven of the eight improved on their ranking from a year ago, making Ireland the most-improved country in Europe and the second-most improved in the world, trailing Azerbaijan. This edition of the QS rankings also marks the first time every ranked Irish university has been included in the world's top 800. Further and Higher Education Minister James Lawless said third-level institutions 'play a vital role in delivering education and research' in Ireland. 'This work has been and continues to be pivotal to the success of our country as a knowledge-driven economy,' he said. Their achievements reflect the strength of our higher education system 'I congratulate the institutions that have improved their standing in this year's QS university rankings. 'Their achievements reflect the strength of our higher education system and reinforce Ireland's global reputation for academic excellence and cutting-edge research. 'This progress also reflects the significant investment this Government has made in higher education in recent years, supporting our ambition to build a world-class, innovative and inclusive system that delivers for all.' TCD ranked in the top 100 globally in three indicators: academic reputation, international faculty and graduate outcomes. UCD landed in the top 100 for graduate outcomes and in the top 50 for sustainability, where it was ranked 49th. After rising into the global top 250, UCC also improved in academic reputation, employer reputation and citations per faculty. The University of Oxford was in fourth place, down from third At the top of the rankings, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) retained the number one spot it has held since 2012. In second place was Imperial College London, the same spot it earned last year. The University of Oxford was in fourth place, down from third, and Harvard University was in fifth, down from fourth. QS senior vice-president Ben Sowter said: 'Ireland's outstanding results in the 2026 QS World University Rankings are testament to the dedication of academics, administrators and students across the eight universities from the country included in the ranking. 'The Government has been clear in its ambitions to make Ireland a first-choice destination for international learners in its Global Citizens 2030 Talent and Innovation Strategy and, with every university improving in the international student indicator, the country's campuses are increasingly open and diverse.'
Extra.ie
2 days ago
- Politics
- Extra.ie
No student deal: Minister says rent hike exemptions would be 'unworkable'
There will be no special provisions to prevent students who do not live in purpose-built student accommodation from facing major rent hikes when they return to college. New changes to Rent Pressure Zones will permit landlords to reset rents every six years or when a tenant voluntarily exits the tenancy. The move is a departure from existing RPZ rules, where rent increases are linked to the property. James Lawless, Minister for Higher and Further Education, met with Housing Minister James Browne yesterday to discuss an exemption for purpose-built student accommodation. However, Mr Browne said 'there will be no special exemptions' as they would be unworkable. James Lawless, Minister for Higher and Further Education. Pic: Gareth Chaney/Collins Photos 'So there will be no special exemptions in current law for people in that particular situation, and it won't be under the new legislation either,' he said. Minister Browne said he would engage with Mr Lawless around student-specific accommodation, but it would be very difficult outside of this. The Housing Minister said: 'That's a very different particular set of circumstances, but I think to try and engineer into the legislation that a landlord would then have to identify what that person's role, are they a student, are they a full-time student, part-time student, what qualifies as a student? 'It will be unworkable. And I think it will be unenforceable, so we'll be in those particular sets of circumstances.' Housing Minister James Browne. Pic: Sam Boal/Collins Photo Mr Browne said he had engaged at length with Attorney General Rossa Fanning on the matter, and the resetting element of the legislation is 'crucial to making this constitutionally viable'. In response to a question from the Irish Daily Mail, Mr Browne insisted he did not make a mistake by not immediately implementing the national expansion of RPZs. 'We have moved very swiftly on this,' he said. Pressed on whether it was a mistake, Mr Browne replied: 'No.' The Cabinet agreed last week to make the entire country an RPZ, which limits annual rent increases by landlords to 2% annually. Pic: Shutterstock The measures were initially due to come into effect on March 1, 2026, along with a suite of other changes to the rental market. However, Mr Browne will now bring forward emergency legislation in the Dáil today that will allow for RPZs to be expanded nationwide, once enacted, which could be by Friday. In December 2016, when then-Housing Minister Simon Coveney announced the introduction of RPZs to cap rents at 4% per year, legislation was introduced and passed that same day. The delay in introducing the controversial RPZ legislation has provided some landlords with the opportunity to increase rent to market rent on a property if one hadn't been done in the last two years, ahead of it being brought into an RPZ. Labour Party leader Ivana Bacik. Pic: Niall Carson/PA Wire In the Dáil, Labour Party leader Ivana Bacik accused the Government of 'chaotic decision-making, U-turns, drip feeds and hasty rewrites of flawed press releases'. 'Anyone watching will be wondering when you're going to take political responsibility for the housing crisis,' she said. 'You're the Taoiseach, you're in government, your party and Fine Gael have effectively governed together for the best part of a decade and yet you are resorting to throwing critiques at the Opposition for not building homes.' Taoiseach Micheál Martin replied that Ms Bacik 'could have been in government' after the last election, but said she 'didn't have the courage' to do so. Speaking in the Dáil, Jennifer Whitmore, Social Democrats TD for Wicklow, branded the decision a 'disgrace'. 'The truth is your policy is a shambles and you are making it up as you go along,' she said. Meanwhile, the Cabinet agreed to bolster the powers and remit of the Land Development Agency to allow it to build more private housing and enable it to buy private land outside the limited scope it is permitted to do so at present. When the LDA was established in 2018, it had a mandate to build private housing. However, after major political opposition, its remit was modified to only allow it to build public housing on public land. The Cabinet also agreed to exempt rent generated from cost-rental homes from the existing corporation tax. Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe confirmed that this would only apply to the LDA and not private developers, despite the Government wanting more players to deliver cost-rental housing. A review of Compulsory Purchase Order legislation is also underway as part of a bid to give the LDA greater power to obtain land for development.
Irish Independent
3 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Independent
No additional protections for students in private sector under new rental rules, Minister admits
As new legislation is set to be rushed through the Dáil this week to see all current tenancies brought into an Rent Pressure Zone (RPZ), concerns have been raised in relation to the new rent rules set to come in on March 1, 2026. Tenancies after that date will be subject to a six year tenancy agreement and landlords will be allowed to reset rents to market rates after six years. If during those six years, a tenant leaves their rental accommodation voluntarily, the landlord will also be allowed reset the rent. However, concerns were raised in relation to students who rent for a limited period of time for the academic year and for trainee doctors who regularly move around the country, which will see those groups renting subject to hikes in rent on a regular basis. Speaking after cabinet agreed on the legislation to extend RPZs, Mr Browne said that while measures would be looked at for student specific accommodation, measures for students in the private market would not be introduced. 'We're working out issues around students while working over the bill. I'm meeting with Minister James Lawless later today to see what proposals we can do to ensure that students are protected in student specific accommodation,' Mr Browne said. 'However, in the private rental sector, as it is at the moment, there won't be any special measures put in, in terms of the private rental sector, it would become impossible to police or to manage in those circumstances.' The minister said it would be difficult to determine if someone was a student, be it full time or part time, and then work that into legislation. 'There's always, I suppose, challenges like that, students, nurses, Gardai, doctors, consultants. So there will be no special exemptions in current law for people in that particular situation, and won't be under the new legislation either, as drafted,' the minister said. 'In terms of student specific accommodation, I am engaging with Minister Lawless to work out how we ensure that students may be coming in one year and leaving. That's a very different particular set of circumstances. 'But I think to try and engineer into the legislation that a landlord would then have to identify what is that person's role, are they a student, are they a full time student, part time student, or what qualifies a student? It will be unworkable.' Meanwhile, Mr Browne confirmed that former HSE CEO Paul Reid will be on €50,000 per year as chair of the new planning authority, An Coimisiún Pleanála. The new body will replace An Bord Pleanála and will be expected to work towards new timelines for applications. 'The planning commission is absolutely essential. It's going to have within it, statutory timelines and other measures. 'The Planning Commission is probably the single most important agency we have in this state. It decides not only housing and how quickly that can be delivered, but also our transport, our education and our hospitals,' Mr Browne said. Mr Reid will be expected to have a hands on role in this new planning authority, Mr Browne said. 'I identified Paul Reid as somebody having that governance experience, that management experience, because this is going to be a real hands-on role. 'Mr. Reid would be expected to be very hands on in an almost daily basis, engaging with the CEO to ensure that this change in management happens as well with this new body,' he added.
Irish Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
No ‘special exemptions' for students under latest Rent Pressure Zone system, James Browne says
There will be no special exemption for students under new Rent Pressure Zone (RPZ) legislation, Minister for Housing James Browne has said. In advance of a meeting with the Minister for Higher and Further Education James Lawless over concerns students could face higher rents, Mr Browne said a special protection for student tenants in the private market would be 'unworkable' and 'unenforceable'. Earlier this week, Mr Lawless had called for special exemptions for students who could be 'inadvertently disadvantaged' by the new regulations due to the fact students change tenancies more frequently than other cohorts. Under the proposed reform of RPZs, a student who started a new tenancy for each college year could see their rent increase to the market rate each time. READ MORE Speaking after the Cabinet agreed on Tuesday to rush through legislation to extend RPZs to the entire country, Mr Browne said there 'won't be any special measures put in place in terms of the private rental sector, it will become impossible to police or to manage in those circumstances'. He added: 'There is no special exemptions in current law for people in that particular situation, and there won't be under the new legislation either.' Mr Browne said he would 'engage' with Mr Lawless on proposals for students who could be coming into and out of a tenancy in one year as 'that's a very different particular set of circumstances'. 'But I think to try and engineer into the legislation that a landlord would then have to identify what [is] that person's role? Are they a student? Are they a full-time student, part-time student, what qualifies as a student? It will be unworkable, and I think it will be unenforceable.' Mr Browne also denied it was a 'mistake' not to rush through legislation to extend RPZs nationwide last week. 'I think we have moved very swiftly on this,' he said. Earlier, Labour's housing spokesman Conor Sheehan claimed he had seen 'anecdotal' evidence of landlords in areas not yet covered by RPZs trying to increase their rents before the law was passed. Some 17 per cent of existing tenancies are not covered by RPZs, according to latest estimates. Mr Browne said there 'may' be some landlords who are currently carrying out a review of rents. 'What I always say to all the tenants, your rights are there in law. I know some tenants maybe may not be aware of that.' He advised them to reach out to renters' organisation Threshold, their local councillor or TD who would 'certainly ensure that your rights are put in place'. The Cabinet on Tuesday agreed to publish Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Bill 2025 for 'priority enactment' with a view to having it pass all stages in the Oireachtas and be ready to be signed into law by the end of the week.
Irish Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Minister wants exemptions to new rent rules to be considered for students sharing houses
Exemptions to rent rules agreed by Government last week should be considered for student house-shares, Minister for Higher Education James Lawless has indicated. A spokesman for the Kildare North TD said one option under examination would prevent landlords from hiking rents in these properties at the same rate as the wider market. In addition to protections for purpose-built student accommodation , Mr Lawless believes a particular policy for houses shared by students should be added on to reforms to the rental market agreed by the Government last week. He said students should not be 'inadvertently disadvantaged' by the new rules. READ MORE In a sign that Ministers are already looking to carve out exemptions from the changed regime, a spokesman for Mr Lawless said reforms to encourage housing supply should protect renters such as students who have 'particular and unique circumstances'. The reforms were criticised as they would see existing properties rented by people who move regularly – such as students – subjected to more frequent rent reviews. Landlords will be permitted to reset their asking price to the market rate if a tenant voluntarily exits a lease signed after next March early, or every six years otherwise. [ Rent changes: How will tenants be impacted by the plans for Ireland's rental market? Opens in new window ] As many students leave their accommodation at the end of an academic term, this would mean the rent for the property could be reset to market rates at that stage. Officials in Mr Lawless's department and the Department of Housing have been asked to explore a 'targeted solution' for students, the spokesman said. 'Some options could include a designated 'student tenancy' category which may function in the same way as current RPZs with rent levels tied to a property as opposed to a tenancy,' he added. Under the current rent pressure zone (RPZ) system, rent can move up by only 2 per cent annually or in line with inflation - whichever is lower. It is expected that purpose-built student accommodation will be exempted from the changes, but housing in residential areas, which is often let to students during term time, may need extra protections, the Minister's spokesman indicated. Restrictions on rent resets when students voluntarily vacate accommodation at the end of the academic year could also be explored, the spokesman added. It is understood that other options could see more conditions put on the resetting of rents dependent on investment in a property. 'While the RPZ reforms are designed to strengthen protections across the board, we must ensure that students are not inadvertently disadvantaged by the new structure,' the spokesman added. 'The Government's intention is to protect tenants while encouraging new supply. Students, as a high-turnover group, must be explicitly considered in this balance.' With the Opposition continuing to criticise the Government's latest rental market policies, it is expected that legislation to extend RPZs nationally will come before Cabinet this week.
