International Students in
Ireland
What lies behind the data?
Gill Roe
www.educationireland.ie
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Global Statistics:
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Demand for tertiary education has grown by
50 million (2000-2007)
Regional disparities are evident
Percentage of those choosing to study
overseas has remained statistically stable
Currently 3 million international students,
expected to increase to 5.5 million by 2020
(UIS)
www.educationireland.ie
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Ireland’s Statistics:
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Over 25,000 international students in H.E.
Two thirds based in the universities
54% are female
36% from EU Countries
23% at postgraduate level
30% taking humanities/liberal arts
66% are full-time students
Most important countries of origin : USA; China France;
UK; Germany; Spain, Malaysia, India & Canada
www.educationireland.ie
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PhD Students
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2114 International PhD Students in Ireland
Come from 111 different countries
One third from the EU
40% of PhD students are female
Studying across all subject areas (particularly
science)
www.educationireland.ie
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Gender of International Students
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Overall 54% are female
Country discrepancies are evident
11% of students from Pakistan are female
24% of students from India are female
33% of students from the USA are male
24% of engineering students are female
Just over 30% of humanities students are male
www.educationireland.ie
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Issues for consideration…
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Why are we involved in international
education?
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Do we wish to deeply integrate internationalisation into our
institutions or
Are we pursuing something less which has been referred to as
“internationalisation lite”
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What sort of philosophy lies behind our
national & institutional strategies?
www.educationireland.ie
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Issues for consideration continued
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What will internationalisation in Ireland look
like in 5-10 years time?
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Is there a moral context associated with what
we do?
www.educationireland.ie
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International Students in Ireland
Thank you!
www.educationireland.ie
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