A brand new report by ApplyBoard has highlighted the rising recognition of Eire as a examine vacation spot, which noticed 40,400 worldwide enrolments in 2023/24, a 15% enhance on the earlier yr.
“Since 2020 Eire’s worldwide training sector has achieved three consecutive years of development, eclipsing 40,000 enrolments for the primary time in 2023/24,” Ian McRae, head of rising markets at ApplyBoard, informed The PIE Information.
“College students are starting to shift away from the ‘large 4’, favouring locations that supply decrease dwelling prices paired with strong post-study work alternatives,” stated McRae, advising Irish establishments to advertise Eire’s affordability and elevated work-study alignment to draw world expertise.
Worldwide Enrolment in Eire 2017/18-2023/24
The report, which analyses information from Eire’s Greater Training Authority (HEA), noticed Indian scholar enrolment enhance by practically 50%, overtaking the US to turn out to be the most important world sending market.
Exceeding India’s dramatic development have been Mexico and Türkiye, whose scholar populations grew by 61% and 53% respectively, indicating the rising diversification of Irish campuses.
For worldwide college students, the expansion of Eire’s examine overseas sector exhibits that “they’ve extra selection than ever earlier than”, stated McRae, notably for college students from nations that don’t require a scholar visa for Eire.
Although the UK stays in Eire’s high 4 sending locations for worldwide college students, its 0.5% decline in 2023/24 stands out in stark distinction to India, the USA and China, whose scholar populations every reached all-time highs.
Prime scholar populations enrolled in Irish establishments, 2023/24
| Rank | Nation | No. of scholars | Change from 22/23 |
| 1 | India | 7,070 | +49% |
| 2 | USA | 5,655 | +11% |
| 3 | China | 4,405 | +11% |
| 4 | UK | 3,110 | -0.5% |
| 5 | Canada | 1,980 | +2.5% |
| 6 | Germany | 1,210 | +15% |
| 7 | France | 1,130 | -2.5% |
| 8 | Italy | 1,010 | +6.5% |
| 9 | Spain | 810 | +4.5% |
| 10 | Kuwait | 810 | +9.5% |
Final yr noticed most of the conventional English language locations rocked by coverage modifications, most notably in Canada, Australia and the UK.
As complete world demand for examine overseas grows, the altering coverage panorama is disrupting established scholar mobility developments and opening the doorways for rising markets comparable to Eire, Germany and South Korea.
The report highlighted a seamless pattern of elevated scholar mobility from inside the EU, with notable curiosity in Eire from German, Polish, Czechian and Romanian college students, due to a number of engaging examine and work mobility insurance policies.
“This rising curiosity from European college students can also be possible a byproduct of UK universities charging EU college students full worldwide scholar charges after Brexit”, making Irish establishments the “extra reasonably priced choices”, acknowledged the report.
Eire’s development elevated at each undergraduate and postgraduate ranges, with the latter cohort seeing the bigger development fee of 25% in comparison with the earlier yr.
STEM programs recorded excessive demand from worldwide college students, with sustained curiosity in well being and welfare, enterprise and engineering and a 65% surge in demand for ICT packages, “signalling sturdy alignment with Eire’s thriving tech sector”, stated McRae.
With engineers, programmers and nurses in excessive demand throughout Eire, the report highlighted the chance for worldwide college students to fill crucial labour market gaps and advisable establishments broaden recruitment efforts to incorporate rising scholar populations.
