A very interesting set of interactive charts showing the impact of the crisis on third level funding and student numbers across various European states: http://eua.be/activities-services/projects/eua-online-tools/public-funding-observatory-tool.aspx.
One shocking conclusion: whilst Ireland experienced a robust increase in the number of students during the crisis, Irish public funding for universities fell at a second highest rate in the EU (after Greece). You can see where these comparatives put us in contrast to, say, Iceland.
