Ireland reaches all time high in international student enrolment beating US, UK, and Canada

Ireland has witnessed a sharp rise in the number of student enrollments in the last few years.While other popular study abroad destinations such as Canada, the UK, and the US are changing their visa and immigration policies, some not-so-popular student destinations like Ireland are gaining attention. Ireland, being one of the most affordable countries to study, offers international students a lot of benefits of studying in Ireland.

This Story also Contains

1. The Changing Student Enrollment Scenario in Ireland
2. Which Study Levels Are Seeing The Rise?
3. Which Is Ireland’s Top Student Population?
4. Which is the fastest-growing student population in Ireland?
5. Which Are The Top Fields Attracting International Students Worldwide?
6. Ireland: A Growing International Student Destination In 2025

In 2023-24, Ireland saw over 40,400 (15% rise than the previous year) international students enrolled in different Irish universities. Ireland has seen an increase in student enrollment for three consecutive years since 2020, the highest recorded in 2023, and this trend has been going on since 2024 and is predicted to continue in 2025 as well.

The Changing Student Enrollment Scenario in Ireland

There has been a 50% increase in student population in the top colleges of Ireland in the academic year 2020-21. In the next consecutive years, there has been a 15% increase that has crossed the 12% growth in the previous year. These numbers point towards the bright future of the education sector in Ireland and how international students are slowly shifting towards non-popular student destinations apart from the top countries to study abroad. (Canada, UK, US, and Australia).

Which Study Levels Are Seeing The Rise?

The number of international students in Ireland has been increasing for both undergraduate and postgraduate educational levels. There has been an 8% year-on-year rise in the number of students enrolled for undergraduate studies, while it is over 25% for the postgraduate studies. It is predicted that if the growth happens at this rate, then it will outnumber many of the popular student destinations in the world by the end of 2025.

Which Is Ireland’s Top Student Population?

In the academic year 2022–23, the top student population in Ireland was the American students. Just within a year, this place has been taken by the I. In the 2023-24 academic year, with a swopping 49% year-on-year growth rate, the Indian students have bagged the top spot in Ireland. 18% of the students in Ireland were Indians alone. And what is most interesting is that this expansion occurred amidst the decline in the number of UK study visas and the reduced number of visa applications for other big-4 countries (US, Canada, and Australia). There has been a 10% rise even in the number of Canadian and American students in the top universities in Ireland.

Which is the fastest-growing student population in Ireland?

With each passing year, Ireland welcomes more students of different regions-including Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. In earlier years, the Irish campuses had their fastest-growing segment of students who came from the European region; however, it is now gradually changing with newcomers to this area.

Which Are The Top Fields Attracting International Students Worldwide?

Although every field has witnessed increased student enrollment this year in Ireland, the demand for ICT programs has been the most. There has been over 65% increase in the number of students enrolled in ICT for this academic year. If this continues, then probably ICT will be one of the most popular courses to study in Ireland. Also, students have shown much interest in the short-term programs in Ireland.

Ireland: A Growing International Student Destination In 2025

The higher education sector in Ireland has seen promising growth in the last few years. This signals towards the stable and growing education system of Ireland. Students prefer to study in the Irish universities due to the vibrant student culture, brilliant research opportunities and affordable cost of living. The country has emerged as an excellent choice for students seeking to study in Europe for its high standard of education without incurring significant financial burdens.