Research carried out by The Higher Education Authority (HEA) has shown the rising levels of international students in Irish third level institutions.
The research shows that one in ten third level students are from abroad and the number of international students has been steadily rising with a 1% increase since 2014 in part time and full time international enrolments. University College Dublin (UCD) boasts the largest international population followed by Trinity College Dublin (TCD) and The National University Ireland Galway (NUIG) .
The majority of international students come from the USA and 38% of all international students come from Asia which shows the demand for third level in English speaking countries.
The report revealed a growing trend for Erasmus exchanges in and out of Ireland and a showed 10% increase in the amount of Irish students travelling abroad. There was an increase of about 500 Erasmus students choosing to go to Ireland between 2014 and 2016.
The value of this trend can be seen in the amount of students that choose to continue their work in Ireland with 43% of international students gaining employment in Ireland.
The figures also reflect the increasing gender disparities in third level across the board. The gap between the amount of women versus the amount of men choosing to study in third level grew by 8%. The report shows that 54% of international students were women in 2014 and grew to 58% in 2017.