Maynooth University is owed €1.4 million in unpaid tuition fees by its students

Irish universities are owed more than €17 million in tuition fees from students.

Figures released to the Irish Independent show that students are struggling to pay and colleges are finding it difficult to collect fees owed.

Union of Students in Ireland President Kevin Donoghue said: "People are not paying the debt because they can't afford it . . . At €3,000 our fees are the second highest in Europe . . . With such high fees of course we will have those who can't pay."

The University of Limerick is owed the most at over €5.2 million, a debt built up over the last number of years.

Maynooth University said the outstanding tuition fees amount to almost €1.4 million, with the debt ranging from two to five years.

DCU has the lowest level of unpaid debt at €591,931 and the Dublin institution said it uses a "third party agency" to follow up debts.