Why Study in Ireland

Ireland has a long history of welcoming international students going back more than a thousand years. In the dark ages of 7th century Europe, Ireland was a beacon of learning, and students from around the continent travelled to study in Irish monasteries.  We continue that proud and historic tradition today, and for the past 50 years Ireland has been a location of choice from students around the world, including North America, Europe, the Gulf and Asia.

An education in Ireland is a transformational experience, which adds significant value to the personal development and economic potential of our graduates and binds them to the global Irish family, a network which will continue to be open to them no matter where in the world they travel.

Irish academic quality assurance systems are highly regarded, and we will shortly be supplementing them by introducing nationally-enforced standards and an international education mark for treatment of international students.

Our qualifications are internationally recognised, and our higher education system provides the full academic range through arts and the humanities, the social sciences, medicine, science, business & management and engineering.

Ireland have supportive learning environments…

Dedicated international offices work closely with administrative, academic and specialist staff to fully support students throughout their time in Ireland. Through these specialist support structures, students receive direct access to information, facilities, services and staff.

Leading Global Companies are in Ireland…

We hear again and again from CEOs of cutting edge companies that the strengths of Irish-educated graduates are crucial to their decision to establish in Ireland.  These include companies like Boston Scientific, Apple, Intel, Pfizer, IBM, Citi, Facebook, Yahoo, Google and LinkedIn as well as:

• eight of the world’s top ten ICT companies,
• eight of the world’s top ten pharmaceutical and life science companies,
• half of the world’s major financial services companies.

Eric Scmidt, Chairman of Google, has said their decision to locate in Ireland “is everything to do with the … workforce of geographically diverse, speaking multiple languages, creative young people coming out of [Ireland’s] top universities”.

These companies  don’t just focus on our science and technology graduates – their CEOs also highly rate the Irish-educated graduates in the arts and humanities,  who they regard as having the creativity, collaboration, flexibility and other core skills necessary for modern business.

A recent Europe-wide report by the European Council of Finance Ministers noted that major companies regard Irish graduates as among the most employable in the world.

Ireland’s graduates are innovators in their fields, leaders in their communities and ambassadors for excellence all around the world.

Ireland recognizes the importance of graduates getting industry expertise, and we also value global talent, so we allow international graduates a period of one year to remain in Ireland in order to find a job or develop a business idea.

An innovative and creative culture…

Of course, education is much more than a means simply to secure employment, and studying in Ireland is an immensely enriching experience. The creative spirit imbues an Irish education and we encourage our students to be adaptive, to be critical thinkers and innovators.

Ireland is a land rich in cultural heritage with a history of world-leading innovation. From the flamboyance of Oscar Wilde to mould-breaking James Joyce from the pioneering quantum physics of John Bell to Nobel Laureate Ernest Walton, Ireland’s unique innovative and creative culture is an integral part of the Irish experience.

In addition to personal growth, we recognise the need for our students to become globally-engaged citizens.  In this, we are mindful that we have always been to the forefront of humanitarian and development issues.   Through our education system, we want to change the people who change the world.

A friendly, safe country…

Of course, students are not just coming to study, but to live.  Ireland offers a remarkable student experience.  We are a small, safe and friendly country. The 2011 Global Peace Index, a measure of a range of safety and security indicators, placed Ireland as the eleventh safest country in the World.  In terms of quality of life, Ireland ranks 5th on the UN Human Development Index.  A few years ago, the highly regarded Economist magazine ranked Ireland as the best place in the world to live.

The costs of studying in Ireland also compare favourably with international options with tuition for many full-time undergraduate programmes in the range US$11,000 to US$16,000, rising for courses as science or medicine.  Living and accommodation costs in Ireland are coming down again, which should benefit students.