Irish higher education reports a fourth straight year of foreign enrolment growth
- International enrolment in Ireland’s universities grew by just over 10% in 2024/25 to reach a new historical high of nearly 45,000 students
- Students from India and the United States are driving that growth, with Indian enrolments surging by nearly 30% year-over-year
The number of international students enrolled in Irish universities has been growing steadily from a COVID-era dip in 2020/21. The latest data from Ireland's Higher Education Authority (HEA) confirms that 2024/25 marked a fourth straight year of growth for the country's foreign enrolment base. Student numbers grew by just over 10% year-over-year, setting a new historical high point and approaching the 45,000-student threshold for the first time.
Nearly three in four international students in Irish universities (74%) come from outside of the European Union. The three leading sending markets – India (20.6%), the United States (13.8%), and China (9.9%) – account for nearly half (44%) of all foreign enrolment in the sector. India and the US are driving the overall growth trend in Ireland, with Indian numbers jumping up 30% year-over-year in 2024/25, and US enrolments moving up 8% over the same period.
Reflecting the pattern we have observed in other major study destinations, Chinese enrolments in Ireland softened last year, easing -.3% from the year before.
The overall growth for 2024/25 was evenly split between undergraduate and post-graduate enrolments, which grew by 9% and 11% respectively. International enrolments in Ireland have historically been more weighted to undergraduate studies. In the years since the pandemic, however, that gap has narrowed and, as of last year, the foreign enrolment base in Ireland is almost perfectly balanced between undergraduates (22,825) and post-graduates (21,710).
Why do students choose Ireland?
A series of interviews conducted by The Irish Times in August 2025 provides a window into why international students choose to study in Ireland.
Some choose Ireland as an English-speaking alternative to the UK, post-Brexit. Others are drawn by the affordability of higher education in Ireland, and some for what they see as a more supportive and safe environment.
Speaking to The Times, Adetunji Adeleke, a doctoral student from Nigeria, said, “At the time, I was deciding between a PhD in the US or Ireland. A conversation with my prospective supervisor changed everything for me. I felt that my supervisor had the necessary skills to supervise my PhD and that she was very interested in my research proposal. I have read about many people dropping out a PhD because they had a bad supervisor, so her enthusiasm and skills swayed my decision.”
Kiran Singh, a master's student from America, added that she chose to study in Ireland because it was “significantly more affordable compared to similar options in the United States”.
However, the students also shared important cautions regarding the linked issues of costs of living and availability of housing in Ireland, with one American student explaining that rents in Dublin were comparable to those in major American cities, such as Boston or New York.
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