Trinity College says that it has no records of how the commencement fee was calculated. In response to a Freedom of Information request submitted by The University Times asking the College to provide ‘records relating to the calculation of the commencement fee’ the College said that it was unable to provide these records because ‘such records do not exist.’ 

The commencement fee is charged to candidate graduates who having satisfactorily completed their course of study and wish to proceed with conferral. The fee is currently €114 which the College says is used for the ‘production of the degree parchments, the upkeep of the University’s register of alumni, and the organization and running of the commencement ceremony itself.’ 

The College have said that they do not include the charge for conferral in the course fee or student service charge as it has the advantage that ‘students who do not graduate in the end do not have to contribute to the costs of graduation.’

The commencement fee was introduced in the 1989/90 academic year. The Vice-Provost’s office said that ‘administration records held by the Student Records/Proctors’ Offices do not go back that far.’

In the response to The University Times’ request, the College explained that the commencement fee is increased annually in line with the increase to tuition fees as approved by the Minister for Education and Science and informed to the College by the Higher Education Authority (HEA). 

The College was advised by the HEA in 2008 that the undergraduate tuition fee was increasing by two point six per cent for the 2008/09 academic year. In their letter to The University Times the College has said that there was no increase for the 2009/10 academic year. 

The Students’ Union President, Cónán Ó Broin, said ‘it is completely unacceptable that the College cannot tell the students where €500,000 of students’ money goes. If this situation remains like this the Students’ Union will take legal advice.’