State subsidies, no VAT and lower costs: how Irish private schools are attracting UK students

Second in line to the British throne, Prince George, has just started as a boarder at Eton College, where fees are about £65,000 a year (€75,688). But if his parents weren’t so flush, he might have considered an education across the water. The cost of a private – or public as they call it – school education has been steadily rising in the UK, since the Labour government’s decision to add VAT – at an additional 20 per cent – as of January 1st, 2025. According to the Independent Schools Council, a UK lobby group, it means that average boarding school fees stand at about £54,000 a year. This has resulted in numbers attending UK private schools falling by about 30,000.For example, at Roedean, a girls day and boarding school in Brighton, full boarding fees range from £17,778 a term to £21,330 a term (there are three terms in a year, so about £53k-£64K a year). But if VAT were excluded, fees would drop to £14,815-£17,775 a term.Extra costs might apply for international students; at Eton, for example, an additional annual £3,000 charge applies to international students who need a visa.READ MORESo where can they go?Step forward Ireland and its network of boarding schools that, as in other EU countries, are not subject to VAT and still benefit from State subsidies. That means they can offer those who previously favoured a UK boarding school a significantly cheaper option.Schools looking to UKChris Lumb, headmaster of Clongowes Wood College, a Jesuit boarding school in Kildare, is starting to see an increase in interest from the UK.“From our perspective, we are beginning to see an impact,” he says of rising costs in the UK, pointing to growing interest in Irish schools both from UK residents and farther afield. Historically, it would have been children of Irish people living in the UK who might have been sent to Clongowes, Lumb says – but not necessarily those of UK families. Now this is changing. “One of the challenges for us as we develop the UK market is for families in the UK to understand what an Irish education is,” says Lumb, noting that A Levels generally focus on three to four subjects, compared with seven typically for the Leaving Certificate. “It’s about generating a greater understanding of the breadth and value of an Irish education,” he says. Arthur Godsil is a former headmaster of St Andrews College in Booterstown who runs an education consultancy offering services to those looking to move to second level in Ireland, such as guardianship and registration requirements. He has seen “a year-on-year increase in demand” across second-level boarding schools. “I’ve no doubt the VAT imposed by Labour government will have had an effect,” he says.Once on board with the Irish education system, UK-based families can find much cheaper options here. Clongowes, for example, charges about €26,550 a year for boarders. On its website, it notes: “Our boarding fees are substantially lower than UK boarding fees, yet our grounds, facilities and results are on a par with some of the top UK boarding schools.”Alexandra College in Milltown charges €28,667 for UK boarders, while Rockwell College in Tipperary about €17,928 – all significantly less than their UK equivalents. One school actively targeting UK students is Kings Hospital, a mixed boarding school near Lucan, Co Dublin. Founded in 1669, it is one of Ireland’s oldest boarding schools and is promising “affordable fees for UK families”.“Looking for an Irish boarding school with UK-level excellence and no VAT?” a message on its website asks. It charges €28,595 a year for UK residents.State subsidiesAnother reason, apart from VAT, for Irish schools being so competitive with their UK counterparts is that, in the UK, private schools operate outside the state system and don’t receive state funding. They are typically fully funded by school fees. In Ireland, however, private schools still receive significant public funding. [ Inside Clongowes Wood: Who sends their child to boarding school in 21st-century Ireland?Opens in new window ]While parties such as Sinn Féin and Labour want to end public funding of private schools, latest figures show the Irish State continues to subsidise 50 private secondary schools by a total of more than €140 million a year. The money largely goes toward salaries for teachers and special needs assistants.This subsidy system is a key advantage when attracting students from abroad.As the Kings Hospital website notes, “Ireland’s subsidised education system allows us to offer a world-class education and premium facilities at less than half the cost of UK independent boarding schools”.Anthony Cheng, director and founder of the Irish International Education Center, an Irish education specialist based in Hong Kong that earlier this month held a webinar with the head of admissions at King’s Hospital, says Ireland remains “highly competitive” on total cost.“Ireland offers excellent value for money on education quality, facilities, graduate employment prospects and the overall environment,” he says.Not just UK studentsIt’s not just UK students who are considering a move to Ireland. Students from other countries who may have typically boarded in the UK may be put off by the higher fees there.“International families who may previously have chosen a UK school will now consider an Irish school,” says Godsil. He has seen an uptick in applications from US students and has placed about a dozen or so students in Irish boarding schools in recent months. Elsewhere, he sees interest mainly from other European countries, the Middle East and China. Brexit has also played a part in the declining attractiveness of UK independent schools. “We now have an increased number of European families looking to us,” says Lumb.Cheng says the imposition of VAT in the UK has “significantly increased” Hong Kong interest in Irish schools. “Since tuition fees in Ireland remain VAT-free, it is becoming increasingly attractive to families looking for high-quality boarding education in an English-speaking country. Several of our recently enrolled students have explicitly stated that the UK’s VAT policy was one of the reasons they chose Ireland,” he says. [ Private schools are not key to student success. I should know – I’ve taught in themOpens in new window ]“Ireland is a safe, friendly and welcoming country with a high-quality education environment,” says Cheng, citing high academic standards, diverse pathways to higher education, an English-speaking environment, and visa-free entry to Ireland for holders of Hong Kong SAR [special administrative region] passports. The “wealth” of extracurricular activities offered by Irish schools is also a plus, he says.[ Life at Ireland’s biggest boarding school: ‘I have so much more independence’Opens in new window ]Most importantly, however, is the fact that the Leaving Cert offers a direct pathway to universities in Ireland and the UK, “which is traditionally the most popular higher-education destination for Hong Kong students”.And, although the Irish Immigrant Investor Programme, which allowed nationals from outside the European Economic Area move to Ireland by way of making a long-term investment, ceased accepting new applications in 2023, “the demand for education for children from families who immigrate to Ireland through this programme remains”, Cheng says.Changing demographicsThe UK opportunity comes at a time when schools here may have to start working harder to attract students willing to pay their ever rising prices. Department of Finance figures show there were about 425,000 students enrolled across Ireland’s secondary-school sector in 2024/25. Of these, about 27,500 attended private schools.However, numbers are on the slide. According to that same 2025 report, “enrolments in fee-charging schools, as percentages of total enrolments, are down since 2022/23 and represent a continuing pattern of falling attendance at fee-charging schools”.[ ‘It makes them more resilient’: Life in Ireland’s only Irish-language primary boarding schoolOpens in new window ]Back in 2008, private school enrolments peaked at just under 8 per cent, but have fallen back to less than 6.5 per cent since. And demographics mean there is a declining pool of Irish-born candidates for such schools; CSO data shows that in the age cohort 1-8, there are fewer children now than there were in 2016. For example, there are an estimated 61,000 five-year old children in Ireland now: in 2016 there were 72,359.“At the lower end of the primary sector, some schools may not be filling their classes,” says Godsil.Continued interest from abroad is not assured either. Cheng says there may be a decline in Hong Kong students coming to Ireland. “The Hong Kong SAR government is actively promoting the ‘Study in Hong Kong’ brand, extending its coverage from higher education to secondary education,” says Cheng. This added focus means more families may look to keep their children educated locally.And State funding of Irish private schools may not continue at the same level.“There is no doubt there’s a concern,” says Godsil, noting that private schools used to get the same level of funding as those in the non-private sector. The proportion has been reduced considerably and he expects it to continue to be eroded.