Three higher level institutions in the country have performed badly in a new assessment, and may lose €1 million in State funding.
The Irish Times report that Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, Dundalk Institute of Technology and the National College of Art and Design have all been warned of the risk of losing funding after failing to meet a number of targets.
The measures were introduced by the universities in conjunction with the Higher Education Authority (HEA) to improve standards in third level education here in Ireland.
The three colleges that face penalties are already in dire financial straits as they struggle with quantity of students and cutbacks.
They can however, avoid the fines by coming up with plans to address the shortcomings encountered in their failed assessments.
