Students and opposition politicians have staged a protest outside Leinster House, calling for more clarity on the rate of fees they will be paying.

Fees had been €3,000 before being cut to €1,000 as part of cost-of-living measures, however, it is not clear if fees will continue to be reduced

Over the last three budgets, a cut of €1,000 was applied to the contribution fee for third-level students, but it is expected that it will return to €3,000 this year.

More than 56,000 applicants were given an offer of a college place on Wednesday.

There were a total of 83,543 applicants to the Central Applications Office this year.

The new legislation was passed by the Oireachtas on Thursday

Those who have already applied to the CAO can change their course choices up to 5pm on Monday evening

Figures from the Higher Education Authority for the 2021/2022 academic year show the rate increased from 12 per cent the previous year

Figures from the Central Statistics Office show 60 per cent of people aged 35-44 hold a third-level qualification

The study also found almost a quarter of those were considering the move due to financial reasons.

Galway was named the top city in the world for 'student friendliness'

Figures from the Higher Education Authority (HEA), show dropout rates increased 9 per cent compared to previous years