Over the 2024/25 academic year,1 interest in Irish higher education remained strong. In fact, international student enrolment reached a record high of 44,500, surpassing the previous year’s total of 40,000.
Below, we’re taking a closer look at recently released student data from Ireland’s Higher Education Authority (HEA),2 and diving into some of the trends shaping this sustained demand. We’ll discuss which programmes were attractive to international students, which student populations were among the fastest-growing in Ireland, overall international enrolment levels, and more.
Key Insights at a Glance
- The 44,500 international student enrolments in 2024/25 surpassed the previous year’s record high by 10%.
- Indian students remained the largest international student population in Ireland, and rose by 30% year-over-year. The next-largest student population, composed of American students, also grew by 8% this year.
- 70% of the 30 largest international student populations in Ireland grew over the most recent academic year.
Ireland’s International Student Population Continues to Grow
For the fourth academic year in a row, the number of international enrolments in Irish higher education institutions grew. In fact, total enrolments reached a new record in 2024/25:
Total international enrolments were up by 10% year-over-year in 2024/25. While this was a slower pace than in the previous academic years, it continued the trend of steady growth across the sector.
It’s also encouraging that international undergraduate and postgraduate enrolments climbed. Undergraduate enrolments increased by 9% year-over-year while postgraduate enrolments climbed by 11%. In fact, the postgraduate sector is rapidly closing the gap between the two cohorts, with the study level trending toward exceeding undergraduate enrolments by the next academic cycle.
ApplyBoard’s Fall 2025 Student Pulse Survey found that, of ApplyBoard’s six study destinations, Ireland had the lowest rate of negative perception among international students. Respondents largely saw Ireland as an open, safe, and welcoming destination.
Ireland’s Top International Student Populations in 2024/25
For the second year in a row, Indian students were the largest international student population in Ireland. In 2024/25, Indian students represented just over 20% of all international enrolments in Ireland. Enrolments from Indian students grew by 30% year-over-year, which made it a key driver of the sector’s growth:
American students, who had been the largest student population until 2023/24, remained the second-largest cohort. This was also the fourth year in a row that the American international student population grew, a trend that will likely continue as more American students considered studying abroad in 2025 than in 2024. A recent study found that Ireland tied with Italy as the fourth most popular study abroad destination among American students.3
Enrolments from UK students, on the other hand, dipped by 5% year-over-year. This continues an ongoing trend for UK-based international students, as it’s the fourth year in a row in which their enrolments have dipped. This likely ties into the UK’s departure from both the European Union in late 2020 and the EU-wide Erasmus Programme, which allowed students from participating countries to study abroad without paying international student fees. As the UK will be rejoining the program, now called Erasmus+, in 2027, our team predicts that the UK student population in Ireland will start rising again in that academic year.
Elsewhere, enrolment levels for Chinese students leveled out, remaining essentially the same as in 2023/24. Combined, the four largest international student populations in Ireland composed 51% of the total international student body during this past academic year:
Growth Diversifies Across Ireland’s Higher Education Sector
Several emerging international student populations also grew quickly in 2024/25. In fact, 70% of the 30 largest international student populations in Ireland expanded over the most recent academic year:
The Netherlands was the fastest-growing student population, rising by 41% compared to 2023/24 levels. In 2024/25, 6 of the 10 fastest-growing student populations in Ireland were European, which is understandable when nearly 40% of young Europeans think that the freedom to travel and explore other countries is a key benefit of being part of the EU.4
This mobility is encouraged by programs like Erasmus+, which allows students from participating countries (the 27 EU Member States and 6 non-EU associated countries) to study in another participating country for up to 12 months. Students receive a grant that supports their travel and daily living costs, and are exempt from tuition, lab fees or library charges, though they still must cover insurance and student union fees. Initiatives like this are central to improving access to international study opportunities.
That said, three out of the four fastest-growing international student populations over the last two academic years were from outside of Europe: Brazil, India, and Mexico’s student populations each grew by over 25% in the 2023/24 and 2024/25 academic years. By continuing to attract diverse student populations, institutions and government agencies bolster Ireland’s strength as a study destination.
Top Fields of Study in Ireland in 2024/25
Business, administration, and law programmes reclaimed the top spot from health and welfare-related courses as the most popular field of study among international students in Ireland. Almost 20% of international students pursued a business, administration, or law-related course in 2024/25:
Nearly every field of study saw a higher number of enrolments, which can be explained in part by the higher total number of international students in Ireland. That said, some fields grew faster than others. Arts, business, natural sciences, and ICT courses saw double-digit enrolment growth year-over-year. Meanwhile, growth slowed in the health and engineering fields of study.
An exception to this pattern was education programme enrolment, which dropped by 40% year-over-year. It was the only field of study that didn’t grow, and aligns with findings in other parts of the world that demand for education programmes is declining.5 Across many of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, while teachers’ annual salary numbers increased between 2015 and 2023, it wasn’t enough to keep up with inflation. As such, many teachers’ purchasing power was lower in 2023 than it was in 2015. Over that timeframe, in Ireland, experienced lower secondary teachers’ purchasing power dropped by 6%. This economic shift may contribute to international students seeing teaching as a less attractive career choice.
For many international students, the financial investment required to live and study abroad is significant. This may have influenced their interest in business, health, and STEM fields, as, especially for STEM graduates, starting salaries can be higher.6 Meanwhile, new grads pursuing health care roles are in steady demand, and their training can prepare them for careers across the EU.
Building a Sustainable Future for International Students in Ireland
As student populations grow, institutions must sustain programs and tools that encourage holistic student success. Per HEA data, in the most recent academic year, 20% out of all students (international and domestic) in Ireland reported that they live with a disability. Learning difficulties like dyslexia or ADHD were reported by 50% of those students, while 38% reported a psychological or emotional condition.
Life with a disability affects international students in a variety of ways: not least, they experience the additional stressors of living and studying in an unfamiliar country, and may also be adjusting to a learning environment in their non-primary language. They might be less familiar with the student well-being or academic services offered by a HEI, or less willing to seek support when they need it.7 For example, an US-based survey of nearly 45,000 college students (domestic and international) found that international students were less likely to report depression-anxiety or anxiety diagnoses despite reporting higher rates of depressive symptoms (42.4%) than their domestic peers (40.2%).8
Compounding this challenge is that as recently as 2023, a survey conducted by the European Union found Ireland was the hardest place in the EU to access mental health services. Respondents cited factors like cost, treatment and diagnosis delays, long waiting lists, and lack of awareness of different services.9
Open conversations about the different tools available on-campus and online helps to destigmatize accessing these services. And across campus, using human-forward and tech initiatives can help international students thrive. For example, student support volunteers who speak the languages of your institution’s largest international student populations are crucial connection points. They can help new students build a new social community, and overcome moments of culture shock.
Meanwhile, technology that gauges student engagement via course logins or missed assignments flags to instructors when a student might be struggling. This enables instructors and student support teams to offer proactive, instead of reactive, care. Instructors can also use tools like adaptive learning systems to more easily adapt their courses to fit different learning styles, in turn boosting learner engagement and overall student success.
It’s encouraging to see Ireland’s international education sector continue to grow for its fourth straight academic year. Ireland’s excellent education system, welcoming approach to international students, and position as a tech hub within the EU make it an attractive choice for many international students. The ApplyBoard team is proud to support our Irish higher education institution partners in connecting with them.
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FOOTNOTES:
1. Unless noted otherwise, dates refer to Ireland’s academic year, which runs from September to May.
2. All data in this article is courtesy of the Irish Higher Education Authority (HEA). Data methodology changes occurred between the 2023/24 and 2024/25 HEA datasets. So, the data in this article is not directly comparable to our analysis of Ireland’s international education sector in Dec. 2024. Note that HEA rounds values to the nearest five students.
3. The PIE. “Demand for study abroad rises among US students.” July 1, 2025.
4. European Union, “EU challenges and priorities: young Europeans’ views.” February 2025.
5. EducationWeek. “Ed. Colleges are Granting Fewer Degrees, Potentially Affecting the Teacher Pipeline.” October 27, 2025.
6. USA Today. “Recent grads with STEM majors rank highest in pay, Fed analysis shows.” March 9, 2023.
7. Frontiers in Psychiatry. “Navigating mental health challenges in international university students: adapting to life transitions.” April 15, 2025.
8. National Library of Medicine. “Prevalence and correlates of mental health symptoms and disorders among US international college students.” January 31, 2021.
9. PLOS One. “Students’ attitudes and experiences toward mental health support services in Ireland: A qualitative study.” August 21, 2025.
