While many of the top English language destinations for international students have been reshaped by policy changes in 2024, smaller countries are seeing encouraging signs of growth. Over the past year, we’ve seen increasing interest in Irish higher education, buoyed by rising student demand for alternative destinations with lower cost of living and strong post-study work opportunities.
This rising interest helped Irish international student enrolment hit a new high-water mark in 2023/24, surpassing 40,000 students for the first time in an academic year. Today, we’re unpacking new student data from Ireland’s Higher Education Authority (HEA) to explore some of the trends shaping this growing demand. We’ll look at international enrolment levels, the top student populations attending Irish institutions, popular fields of study, and more.
Key Insights at a Glance
- International enrolment reached a new all-time high in Ireland in 2023/24 at 40,400 students, a 15% increase over 2022/23.1
- Indian students became the largest international student population in Ireland in 2023/24, growing by nearly 50% compared to the previous academic year. American and Chinese student populations also rose by over 10% each.
- Irish institutions are experiencing increased demand from all over the world, with additional high-growth student populations from Mexico, Türkiye, Romania, Indonesia, and Czechia.
Another Record Year for International Education in Ireland
Ireland’s higher education sector has seen strong and persistent post-pandemic recovery, with rising demand from international students every year. Ireland has now achieved three consecutive record years of growth, eclipsing the 40,000 enrolments mark for the first time:
Since the end of the 2020/21 academic year, the number of international students enrolled in Ireland has climbed steadily, rising by 50% over the past three years. From 2022/23 to 2023/24, international enrolment in Ireland grew by nearly 15%, surpassing the 12% growth observed in the prior year. This upward trajectory suggests that Ireland’s higher education sector is poised for sustained growth as global student demand for studying abroad strengthens
Importantly, Ireland’s international student population growth has occurred at both the undergraduate and postgraduate student level. While undergraduate enrolments increased by 8% year-over-year, postgraduate enrolments surged by almost 25%. At this pace, international postgraduate students will outnumber international undergraduates in Ireland by the end of the 2024/25 academic year.
This means that the future of higher education in Ireland is increasingly composed of students planning to enhance their education, either to increase their job prospects or hone their skills. With STEM-focused jobs like engineers, programmers, and nurses in high demand across Ireland, international students in related fields may be well-poised to fill critical labour market gaps.
Ireland’s Top International Student Populations in 2023/24
As we predicted last year, Indian students have moved to the forefront of demand for Irish higher education. While American students were the largest international student population in 2022/23, they were soundly surpassed by Indian students over the last 12 months:
The 2023/24 academic year marks the first time India claims top spot on this list, after a remarkable 49% growth year-over-year. As a result, Indian students accounted for 18% of all international students in Ireland last year. This expansion occurs at a time when many of the ‘Big Four’ destinations—Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States—are experiencing slowdowns or declines in Indian student numbers.
Beyond India, student populations from the US and China remain significant cohorts for Irish institutions. Both markets saw their respective student populations in Ireland increase by over 10% compared to their 2022/23 numbers. Along with students from the UK—whose numbers declined slightly in 2023/24—these four major student populations represent 50% of all international enrolments in Irish higher education.
When comparing the growth trends of these four top student flows, the UK decrease stands out in stark contrast:
Student populations from India, the US, and China reached all-time highs in 2023/24. For China and the US, this meant surpassing pre-pandemic high-water marks. But for India, student flows to Ireland have nearly doubled since their pre-pandemic highs, marking 80% growth between 2019/20 and 2023/24. However, expectations of future acceleration may be more limited as India continues to invest in its own education sector.
At the same time, the American student population is likely to grow over the next two years. Since Donald Trump was re-elected to the American presidency in November, American student interest in studying abroad has risen significantly. If the number of American students in Ireland were to increase in turn, and Indian student population growth were to slow, Americans could be the largest international student population in Ireland in 2025.
Diverse Growth for Ireland’s Higher Education Sector
While the UK is likely to remain in Ireland’s top four international student populations for higher education in the coming years, it’s not guaranteed. Institutions across Ireland are seeing increased interest from students from nearly every region of the world, including Latin America, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Europe:
While students from across Europe have been the fastest-growing populations in previous years, 2023/24 shows that Irish campuses are diversifying. Mexico, Türkiye, Romania, Indonesia, and Germany are all new entrants onto the list of Ireland’s 10 fastest-growing international student populations, compared to 2022/23.
In fact, Mexico and Türkiye aren’t just new to the list, they’re leading it. Student populations from these two countries were the only ones to surpass India in terms of relative growth over the last twelve months, though their overall populations remain much smaller. But if their numbers continue to grow, these emerging populations could become an important source of diversity for Irish institutions.
Germany is the only source country on this list, beyond India, with over 1,000 students enrolled in Irish higher education in 2023/24. Increased interest from German students—along with higher numbers of Polish, Czechian, and Romanian students—likely reflect a continuing trend of increased student mobility from within the European Union (EU), thanks to several attractive mobility policies around study and work.
This rising interest from European students is also likely a byproduct of UK universities charging EU students full international student fees after Brexit.2 This decision means that Irish institutions are often more affordable options for European students, with the added benefit of remaining relatively close to home.
Top Fields of Study in Ireland
When we assess student interest in different fields of study, increased demand for information technology (ICT) courses stands out:
While nearly all fields of study had higher enrolment numbers in the 2023/24 academic year, compared to 2022/23, this is somewhat a result of higher student populations overall. That said, there are two main stories that stand out here: slower growth in health and engineering, and rising demand for ICT.
The number of international students enrolled in Irish ICT programs increased by over 65% in 2023/24, far outpacing all other fields of study. If this increase repeats next year, ICT could become the most popular field of study for international students in Ireland. As Ireland is home to regional headquarters of many top tech companies like Google, LinkedIn, Pfizer, and Microsoft, the high demand for ICT studies aligns with Ireland’s strong market need for ICT graduates.
But Ireland’s labour market—which, as of 2022 census data, included nearly 421,000 non-Irish citizens—is also in need of health care and engineering graduates. Despite these critical skill shortages, international students are demonstrating lower interest in these fields of study. For Ireland’s higher education sector, these fields should be a critical focus in the coming year.
To attract more students to these programmes, Irish institutions should emphasize the growing opportunities for post-graduation employment in these fields across Europe. Additionally, institutions should look to collaborate with innovative corporations in Ireland to create internship and other employment pathway programs that align student success with labour market needs. Given the increased global demand for these fields, Irish institutions should also highlight the more affordable cost of living in Ireland. As other destination countries reinforce their plans to align study programs with labour market vacancies, competition for students in these fields will intensify, highlighting the importance of thoughtful action now.
Postgraduate Programmes On the Rise in Ireland
When it comes to the study levels international students pursue, postgraduate degrees are on pace to eclipse undergraduate degrees in the coming years:
As in 2022/23, postgraduate students accounted for around half of all international enrolments at Irish institutions in 2023/24. However, international postgraduate students are increasingly pursuing master’s degrees over other forms of study. International master’s students accounted for nearly one third of all Irish international students in 2023/24, up from less than 21% in 2016/17.
This growing demand is likely tied to students’ growing concern around study abroad costs, and aligning their studies with post-study work options. For international graduates, Ireland’s Third Level Graduate programme permits a one-year stay for new grads at the undergraduate or higher diploma levels, while master’s, postgraduate diploma, and doctoral degree holders can enjoy a two-year work opportunity.
Ireland a Growing Destination for International Students
The persistent growth of Ireland’s international higher education sector is an encouraging sign for the sector’s future sustainability. Barring any significant global dynamics further reshaping student mobility in the next academic year, we expect Ireland to set another high-water mark in 2024/25.
Its increased student population diversity is one of the reasons we’re confident Ireland will continue to see larger international student populations. By attracting students from all over the world, Irish institutions can be better insulated from individual geopolitical shifts. Also, Ireland benefits from broader patterns of shifting student mobility, including policies which continue to limit student mobility to the ‘Big Four’ and evolving political sentiment in key source countries like the US.
The ongoing growth of international education in Ireland seems all but certain. For students who are keen to study in Europe, Ireland’s affordability, thriving tech sector, and high-quality education create a compelling draw. At ApplyBoard, we’re proud to continue to support our Irish institutional partners and expand access to this emerging yet stable destination market.
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FOOTNOTES:
1. All data in this article is courtesy of the Irish Higher Education Authority (HEA). Data methodology changes occurred between the 2022/23 and 2023/24 HEA datasets, thus the data in this article is not directly comparable to our analysis of Ireland’s international education sector in Dec 2023.
2. Select UK universities still offer domestic tuition rates to EU students.
