Ireland has become an education hub for many international students especially in recent years, the trend only seems to surge. Thousands of students arrive in Ireland every year to pursue higher education. According to media reports, the number of international students attending third level education is outpacing the number of Irish students.
Colleges providing third level education execute a major push in attracting international students. These students are lucrative to colleges as they are willing to pay higher tuition fees in order to receive good quality education. Their addition to the educational institutes definitely improves the quality of learning and research at campuses and enhances diversity too.
The 2019 Irish Survey of student engagement polled more than 40,000 third level students. In this survey it was found that international students showcase a higher frequency in matters of interaction with staff of educational institutes, career advice, training and participation in internship programmes. The same report flagged issues about engagement of Irish students.
There has been concern about the barriers of international students in making local friends. For this purpose, colleges and universities provide activity areas and design events to foster interaction.
According to a study conducted by Economic and Social Research Institute, most international students come from countries like India, China, Malaysia, America, Canada and Saudi Arabia. Also, most common courses in which international students enrol themselves are healthcare-related degrees. The number of international students securing employment’s permit after graduation is also rising steadily.
