The President of the Student's Union at TUS Athlone is expressing concern over the struggle to find student accommodation in the town.
Niall Naughton believes the shortage is down to a number of landlords selling their properties while other private accommodation is being occupied by Ukrainian refugees.
Almost 15,000 students are expected on campus this September with over 40% requiring a room.
The University is now asking Athlone residents to rent a space in their homes tax free to help accommodate students.
The Roscommon native fears some attending the local university will be for forced to face long commutes due to a lack of housing.
''Currently we're seeing an extremely high demand in terms of students seeking accommodation but unfortunately the provision of accommodation is extremely low. And we're seeing, you know, different tenant cohorts moving into different student accommodation properties, which is leading to an extreme shortage. You can earn up to 14,000 euros tax free income, if you are to provide accommodation for students for the academic year. I think it's a really really good opportunity for homeowners and landlords and property providers to provide rooms to our students.''
