Fianna Fáil has said it is "open" to looking at a student loan system.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Education Spokesperson Thomas Byrne said Fianna Fáil would look at all of the options and that it was open to the idea of a loan system.
He said there was a lot of work to be done to see if such a scheme could actually be established and as to whether it would work.
Mr Byrne said the party would not support an increase in third-level fees.
The Cassells Report into the future funding of higher education, published yesterday, proposed three options.
It stated that if a loan system was introduced then consideration should be given to increasing student fees as part of the measure.
The report said this option would see State funding for third-level reduced in time, from its current level of 64% of the overall cost of a degree.
The report, which will now be considered by an Oireachtas education committee, outlines three options to address the significant funding deficit in the sector.
The first is the abolition of the current student contribution of €3,000 and a substantial increase in State funding to make up the shortfall.
This is the model used by many European countries.
The second is the maintenance of the current "hybrid" system.
The third option is the one that has received the most focus thus far.
It envisages the introduction of a "study now, pay later" student loan system.
This would be income contingent, with students repaying the cost when they reach a certain earnings level.
