Arts postgrads hit by University of Galway teaching cuts

Postgraduate teaching roles in the College of Arts, Social Sciences and Celtic Studies at University of Galway have been significantly cut as the University seeks savings of around 7 per cent.

Published 2nd Oct 2026, 11:56 GMT Iconic Postgraduate teaching roles in the College of Arts, Social Sciences and Celtic Studies at University of Galway have been significantly cut as the University seeks savings of around 7 per cent. Students’ Union President Seán de Búrca confirmed there had been significant cuts in graduate teaching assistant roles in the College of Arts.

Postgraduate students who applied for teaching roles in Humanities have been informed that teaching contracts will not be issued.

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It is unclear whether the tutorials they would normally deliver will be cancelled or passed on to lecturers – but the move will remove an important source of income and academic experience for postgraduate students.

“There have been significant cuts in graduate teaching roles in the College of Arts,” Mr de Búrca said.

“We are seeing across the board a 7 per cent cut in the University budget. Departments are all being asked to find money somewhere to make strategic cuts.”

One of Galway city's busiest traffic redzones could soon become car free CAO points drop for half of University of Galway courses in first round Mr de Búrca said postgraduate students were particularly vulnerable, with many already surviving on very low incomes and teaching provided an important additional source of money.

The loss of teaching work also deprives postgraduates of experience that can be important for those seeking to pursue careers in academia.

But he warned that the impact would not be confined to postgraduate students, with undergraduates also facing the loss of additional academic support.

“If you are doing a postgrad in Arts, it is not as helpful,” he said.

“If you are doing an undergrad, you are going to be less supported.

“It was former President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins and Professor Gearóid Ó Tuathaigh who brought in the teaching assistant roles.

“They saw that a lot of people weren't progressing from first to second year and they needed help.

“This cutback in tutorials means that progression rates will go down. It will become a negative spiral. There will be less progression and less money.”

Asked how much postgraduate students stood to lose as a result, Mr de Búrca said it varied depending on where their funding came from.

“Some may have done more teaching hours than they were contracted for,” he said.

“It is below the poverty line and less than what I am paid.”

Young people's festival takes centre stage at Galway's Town Hall Theatre Remembering Galway's Magdalens – lest we should ever forget The Connacht Tribune contacted University of Galway about the loss of postgraduate teaching roles in the College of Arts in August, but the University declined to comment on the matter.

Separately, the University's latest financial statements detail difficulties encountered in the delivery of a major project to replace its student records system.

A report by Comptroller and Auditor General Seamus McCarthy shows that €10.6 million had been spent on the planned student records system by the end of September 2025.

The system forms part of the broader Student Digital Pathways (SDP) programme, which had an initial overall budget of €16.4 million.

The student records system had originally been expected to be delivered by September 2023 but remains unfinished after what the C&AG described as “significant delays and development challenges”.

The University commissioned a number of independent reviews of the project.

Its financial statements disclose that an independent review identified weaknesses across the programme, including in planning, resourcing, communication, programme governance, organisational readiness and change management.

The University deemed €9 million of the work reusable towards the system's eventual deployment, while the remaining €1.6 million has effectively been written off.

A further €552,000 was incurred in resolving the contractual dispute, including mediation, legal and review and consultancy costs.

Mr de Búrca said the financial pressures facing the University had to be viewed in the wider context of what he described as chronic underfunding of higher education nationally.

“The much wider issue is the Government isn't funding the sector enough,” he said.

“There isn't enough there to insulate our students, academic and professional services staff.

He said financial pressure on the third-level sector was already being felt by students in a variety of ways, including larger class sizes and the shortage of affordable accommodation.

“We are talking about the way we see the underfunding of higher education manifesting in different ways.

“There are massive class sizes, universities are not able to afford to build student accommodation and private developers charge through the nose,” he said.

And he warned that the impact of the University's cost-cutting drive was only beginning to emerge.

“There's going to be more things felt throughout the year,” he said.