For too many private college students, this perception is unfair, old-fashioned and blatantly untrue. One 18-year-old student, Mark Cane from Inchicore, could only afford to go to Griffith College in Dublin because he won a scholarship. Now, with no way of getting a grant, he has to work to live, and to support his family at home.

"To be honest, before I went to Griffith, I thought all the other students would be upper-class, with plenty of money, " he said. "That made sense to me. But in reality, they're all like me.

They've all got loans from banks to pay their tuition, and they've all got jobs.

Some of my friends have to have two jobs just to survive."

For Mark, Griffith College was his only real chance of studying journalism, as he felt he had no hope of reaching the points requirements for public colleges. "It just wasn't a realistic goal for me, " he said. "I had to try to get into the private colleges, because the points were lower. But even if I was accepted, there was no way I could have gone to the college without the scholarship. My family cannot afford that."

Now going into his second year, Mark will continue to hold down a part-time job.

"It does hamper my studies, " he says. "I just work and go to college. But there is no other option for me.

My parents are unable to work, so I have to bring in money to help them out at home.

"It's just lucky that I live in Dublin, so I can live at home and still go to college.

It just would not have been feasible for me otherwise."