ATTRACTING AND RETAINING INTERNATIONAL HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENTS: IRELAND. ESRI RESEARCH SERIES NUMBER 88 MAY 2019

Groarke, Sarah and Durst, Christina (2019) ATTRACTING AND RETAINING INTERNATIONAL HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENTS: IRELAND. ESRI RESEARCH SERIES NUMBER 88 MAY 2019. UNSPECIFIED.

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Abstract

International student mobility has grown significantly worldwide over the past two decades, increasing from two million to five million between 1999 and 2016 (OECD, 2018). The EU is one of the main destinations for international students, with 1.6 million international students enrolled in the EU in 2016 (OECD, 2018). The importance of attracting international students was most recently highlighted in EU Directive 2016/801 on the conditions of entry and residence of third-country nationals for the purpose of research, studies, training, voluntary service, pupil exchange schemes or educational projects and au pairing.1 While Ireland has not opted into the Directive, the publication of two international education strategies since 2010 and reform of the non-EEA student immigration framework reflect the importance now being attached to promoting the higher education of non-EEA students in Ireland. Immigration of non-EEA nationals for the purposes of higher education in Ireland grew by 45 per cent between 2013, when 9,325 first residence permits were issued to students, and 2017, when 13,519 such permits were issued.2 This study examines policy, law and practice in Ireland relating to non-EEA students undertaking a full-time course of study leading to a higher education qualification in public and private third-level institutions. The study focuses on recent developments in policy on the internationalisation of higher education and changes to the student immigration framework that took place between 2012 and 2018. In particular, it looks at measures to attract non-EEA students to Ireland and retain those students following the completion of their studies.3 Non-EEA nationals enrolled in English language and further education programmes are outside the scope of this study.

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