International Students in Irish Higher Education

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International Students in Irish Higher Education

2011-2012

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International Students in Ireland 2011/2012

Abbreviations

DES – Department of Education and Skills DIT – Dublin Institute of Technology EI – Enterprise Ireland

HEA – Higher Education Authority HEI - Higher Education Institution

IEBI – International Education Board Ireland IIE – Institute for International Education IoT - Institute of Technology

JYA - Junior Year Abroad

NFQ – National Qualifications Framework

OECD - Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development QS - Quacqurelli Symonds (www.qs.com)

STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths TNE – Transnational Education

UIS – UNESCO Institute for Statistics

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Executive Summary

This brief paper is based on Education in Ireland’s 2011-2012 survey of international students in Ireland providing a summary of the data findings under several categories including: income generated; overall numbers; mode and duration of study; level of programme; subject area and country of origin. Further detailed analysis is available upon request. There is no doubt that Ireland is facing strong global competition from countries such as the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand who are all investing significant amounts in promoting their countries to international students. The challenging budgetary context means that there continue to be issues regarding capacity, resource allocation and staffing levels which can restrict institutions in scaling their international effort. Accordingly, the data points to uneven development in international education in Ireland.

Notwithstanding the tough reality faced by the sector, there have been a number of positive achievements and strategic developments in the past twelve months which should yield results in future years.

While our marketing budgets are small compared to our competitors, this has resulted in more innovative and cost-effective approaches to promoting Ireland including a much greater focus on social media (where interactions have increased from 30,000 in 2011 to 400,000 in 2012) and peer recommendations from international students through the innovative student ambassador blog. The new Education in Ireland portal will further strengthen our online profile.

Ireland’s profile received a boost from a variety of external sources: the US Open Doors survey revealed that Ireland remains a top 10 destination for US study abroad students; Dublin was listed by QS as one of the top ten cities in the world to be a student and the International Student Barometer Survey ranks Ireland ahead of all other English-speaking countries, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands for international student satisfaction. Enterprise Ireland is continuing to work closely with the HEIs both strategically and practically in priority countries to support their internationalisation efforts.

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Key findings:

 Overall numbers of international students registered in Irish higher education institutions are comparatively stable at around 32,000 - an increase of around 2% over last year’s figures.

 These top-level figures mask some important underlying trends. Universities have seen quite strong growth in their student numbers (8% over last year), but there have been declines in the Institutes of Technology (1%) and Private Colleges (22%).  The composition of Ireland’s international student cohort is also changing in

important ways. PhD student numbers have increased by 35% and now account for 20% of Ireland's international students – Ireland’s performance in this area is above international norms. There has also been a 6% increase in full-time degree student numbers. International students have increased under all the STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) fields.

 Revenue growth has continued to be strong. International education is now estimated to be a €1 billion sector for the Irish economy, with international students in higher education contributing around €700m and English language students around €300m.

 The best performing priority market has been Malaysia, which saw 10% growth in student numbers. While growth in other priority markets has been more modest, a renewed focus on India, China, the US and Ireland’s participation in Brazil’s Science without Borders Programme should see stronger growth in these markets in 2013 and beyond.

 The crucial importance of transnational education (TNE) to the global expansion in international education - and therefore to the future prospects of Ireland in this sphere - is becoming obvious. The rate at which Irish HEIs are rising to this challenge is mixed, but already this data indicates that 23% of Ireland's international students are offshore and this had led to a shift in the profiles of some countries of origin. For example, 46% of Chinese students are now studying offshore and the numbers based in Ireland have dropped by 10% (300) in one year.

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International Students in Ireland 2011/2012

1 Introduction and Survey Methodology

Education in Ireland had been collecting figures on international students in Irish Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) since 2002 (under the International Education Board Ireland (IEBI) and since 2009 under Enterprise Ireland).

The data described here was collected from 45 Department of Education and Skills (DES)-recognised HEIs which are involved in international education in Ireland. The HEIs are grouped into four broad sectors as defined by the DES1_:



the University sector (including the seven universities, university recognised colleges (5) and colleges of education (4));



the 13 Institutes of Technology and Dublin Institute of Technology;



the independent/private colleges (11) and



other state-aided colleges (4).

This report discusses overall trends and where relevant disaggregates data by sector. No information on any individual HEI is provided.

In order to have a clear understanding of exchange, study abroad and other short-term student numbers, the Education in Ireland survey attempts to capture the total number of international students studying at an HEI over the entire academic year. This differs to the census approach taken by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) which captures the number of students in an institution on a given day. The HEA publish data on international students in full-time education in public institutions only. In order however to provide national clarity the HEA and EI are working together to agree one system of data collection on international students.

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The raw data from the 2011/12 survey records 32,132 as registered with the participating HEIs during that academic year.

At first sight, these figures indicate a 10% increase over 2010/11, however direct comparison over the two years does not provide an accurate reflection of the current situation. As was the case last year, the 2011/12 figures are skewed by a number of issues including:

1. Inconsistent recording of domicile data within the HEIs

In line with international best practice HEIs are requested by both the HEA and EI to provide data by domicile in order to include only students who have crossed a national border to study. However, despite clarification on these definitions on several occasions by both bodies, the issue of domicile versus nationality continues to cause concerns around the reliability of the data. The situation is improving annually but HEIs continue to record student information in a variety of ways, most commonly by nationality, but also by residency, citizenship and sometimes simply by current address.

2. Substantial recorded increase in numbers from two major HEIs

Two major HEIs reported substantial increases in their numbers but stated that this change was due only to improved data gathering systems within the institutions rather than an actual rise in international student numbers.

3. The inclusion of students studying at offshore campuses and on distance education programmes

For only the second year this survey includes data on offshore students (as required under the government’s Internationalisation Strategy2_{). The numbers recorded here increased from}

4,503 last year to 6,166 this year. While increases are likely here, some of the growth could be attributable to institutions completing this section accurately for the first time. A strong increase was also noted in “distance education” students whose numbers have grown from 489 last year to 1,128 this year. The issue of transnational education is discussed in more detail below and is the subject of a forthcoming Education in Ireland research paper.

2 _{Investing in Global Relations: Ireland’s International Education Strategy 2010-2015. DES September} 2010.

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Chart 1: Offshore & Distance Education Students 2010/11 & 2011/12 Distance Education Offshore 0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 2010 / 11 2011 / 12 Source: Education in Ireland 2011, 2012

Unless otherwise stated, the figures in this report relate to international students physically based in Ireland.

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2 The Survey Findings

Ireland attracted students from 170 countries or territories during the 2011/12 academic year (up from 163 in 2010/11) and of these students 52% were female and 48% male.

Chart 2: International Students in Ireland 2010/11 & 2011/122 (excludes offshore & distance education students)

2010/11 2011/12 22,000 22,500 23,000 23,500 24,000 24,500 25,000 25,500 26,000

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2.1 Income Generated by international students

International students generate substantial income both for their institutions and for the country they are living in. In the USA for example, which has the highest number of international students (almost 765,000), it is estimated that these students and their dependents generate $22.81 billion for the economy3_{. In Ireland International students and}

their visitors generate revenues of approximately €1 billion per year: €700 million comes through spending and tuition relating to students in higher education approximately €300 million from English language students4_.

Figures from this survey indicate that tuition income has risen by almost 10% to €2305

million this year from €209 million last year and from €189 million in 2009/10.

Chart 3: Income Generated by International Students in Higher Education 2011/12 Tuition income, €240m Student Spending, €345m Visitors to Students, €120m

Source: Education in Ireland 2012

In addition to tuition income it is estimated that international students in Ireland during the 2011/12 academic year will have spent approximately €345 million on accommodation and

3 _{NAFSA 2012: The Economic Benefits of International Students to the US Economy. November 2012.}

4 _{Failte Ireland ELTS Survey 2012.}

5 _{The figures provided here do include distance and offshore students as the tuition figure recorded only} the royalty which is repatriated back to Ireland (a total of just under €8 million).

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other living expenses. These figures are extrapolated from DIT research6_{on international}

student expenditure carried out in 2011/12. This detailed survey breaks down expenditure by type of student (e.g. Erasmus, JYA, Level 6 – 10, full-time etc) under a series of headings including rent, utilities, food, transport and communications, books, IT and socialising and has been applied here across all the categories excluding distance and offshore students. The DIT research also found that 86% of international students take several long distance bus/coach journeys (an average of 6.67) during their time in Ireland and that almost all students who responded (97%) took international flights out of Ireland each year. The numbers of flights per student ranged from 1 to 30 with the average number being 3.62. JYA and Erasmus traveled the most taking an average of 4.3 flights during their time in the country.

Two thirds of students have family visitors on average 7.6 times during their stay in Ireland (staying for an average of 11 nights if they come as the student settles in year 1, and 8 nights for subsequent visits). If conservatively we assume that 16,600 students are having 2 visitors per year (we do not have information about friends visiting but have anecdotal evidence suggests that this is common) for an average of 9.5 days, this generates a further €120 million into the economy including flights, hotels and general living costs.

Chart 4: Tuition Income Generated by International Students 2011/12

(includes offshore and distance education students )

University Sector,

€194.5, 84% IoTs, €16m, 7%

Privates, €18m, 8% OSA, €1.5m, 1%

6 _{This web-based research was carried out on behalf of DIT and the Department of Education and Skills} by Direction Research in late 2011 and early 2012.

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Looking more closely at tuition income, it is clear that while the university sector accounts for 70% of international students it generates almost 85% of the income (€194.5 million). This trend remains unchanged from previous years and the discrepancy stems from higher fee levels at university level and from tuition income related to medical and veterinary students (n = 3,744, 548 of whom are studying offshore), fees paid by these students total €106 million or 54% of tuition income for universities.

In line with the decline in student numbers the income in both the private colleges and the IoTs has decreased by €4 million and €2 million respectively - a negative trend in both sectors which has been noted since 2009/10.

As international student numbers rise in the other state aided colleges a corresponding increase in tuition income is evident.

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2.2 Location of International Students

In line with the experience of most destination countries, the data from this survey clearly shows that Ireland's international students are primarily located within the university sector. This sector7 _{hosts 70% of students (up from 66% over the last few years) and as chart 5}

illustrates has been responsible for most of the growth over the last year.

The other main providers continue to demonstrate a decline in international numbers which has been evident for the last few years.

 The Institutes of Technology (IoTs, including DIT) host 16% of international students, down from 19.5% from last year. (The IoTs host a total of 4,885 students, down from 4,916 last year).

 Thirteen percent of international students are in the private college sector which has witnessed a decrease of 22% in its student numbers over the last year8_{. (The private colleges} host a total of 3,207 students, down from 4,144 last year).

 Other state aided colleges continue to account for 1% of international students and while the

numbers in these colleges are very low they have demonstrated a growth of over 40% in 2011/12.

7 _{The 'university sector' includes university recognised colleges and the colleges of education (see} appendix 1 for the full list of HEIs included here).

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Some of this decline is accounted for by the collapse of H S I College in Limerick which was included in the 2010/11 survey and recorded 301 students at this time. Some of these students were absorbed by other colleges.

Chart 5: International Student Location 2010-11 & 2011-12 (excludes offshore & distance education students)

OSA Privates IoTs Universities 0 2,000 4,000 6,000 8,000 10,000 12,000 14,000 16,000 18,000 2010-11 2011-12

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2.3 Mode of Study and Duration

The survey aimed to generate a comprehensive overview of all award and credit seeking international students within the HEIs from full-time students to exchange students (including those on a short courses such as summer programmes). Table 1 provides a breakdown of the findings by the mode of study of the international student over the last three years.

Table 1: International Students by Mode/Duration 2011/12 (All)

Year Full-time (%) Exch/short (%) Distance (%) Offshore (%) Not Specified (%) Totals 2009-10 16,201 (66%) 8,447 (34%) 109 (<1%) Not collected 21 (<1%) 24,778 2010-11 14,960 (51%) 9,227 (31%) 489 (2%) 4,503 (15%) 197 (1%) 29,376 2011-12 15,596 (49%) 9,110 (28%) 1,128 (4%) 6,166 (19%) 123 (<1%) 32,123

Source: Education in Ireland 2010-12

2.3.1 Intramural (on-shore) Students

As illustrated by table 1, 24,706 international students were reported within Irish HEIs during the 2011/12 academic year. The number of full-time students has always been an important benchmark for progress and the 6% increase evident this year is a positive sign for Ireland when international trends indicate that students are increasingly attracted to more flexible education offerings which involve less time spent outside the home country. However numbers remain below the 2009/10 figures and targets for full-time students will be challenging for 2015.

Exchange and short term students include Junior Year Abroad (JYA) students, Erasmus students, other exchange students and those on short-term or summer programmes. As table 2 shows exchange numbers for 2011/12 have dropped by just over 1%, but maintain a strong increase over 2009/10. The growth is in Erasmus students and short-term/summer students.

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Table 2: International Exchange/Short-term Students 2011/12 (All)

Year Erasmus JYA Other Exchange Summer Totals

2009-10 4,120 2,873 695 795 _8,483

2010-11 4,271 3,355 633 968 9,227

2011-12 4,682 2,808 615 1,005 _9,110

While many exchange students do not generate direct income to the HEIs in terms of tuition fees, they are spending an estimated €1,200 per month whilst in Ireland, are often joined by family and friends for visits and quite a percentage are anecdotally understood to return to undertake their postgraduate education in Ireland9_{. Exchange students have always been}

important both nationally and institutionally in terms of developing educational, diplomatic and business links. With high international student satisfaction rates in Ireland, these short-term students remain important global ambassadors for Ireland throughout their lives. 2.3.2 Offshore students and Transnational Education

Over the last two years this survey has also sought to capture data on limited aspects of the transnational education (TNE) activity of HEIs such as offshore or branch campuses and distance education students.

TNE is a complicated area but is generally agreed to refer to “any education delivered by an institution based in one country to students located in another. In its broadest sense, it covers ... online and distance learning and its hybrid/supported variants (the largest chunk in terms of student numbers), articulation arrangements, twinning programmes that typically lead to double or joint degrees, franchising and validation arrangements, and international branch campuses”10.

9 _{DIT/Directions Research 2012 (web-based) research and anecdotal evidence from the HEIs.}

10 _{Canada’s Internationalistion Strategy: Forging ahead, in part. William Lawton. Observatory on Borderless} Higher Education, October 2012. As pointed out in this essay: “In Australia in 2011 for example, 108,000 of its 333,000 international students were TNE, i.e., not in Australia. … In the UK, TNE numbers overall

surpassed the number of incoming international students in 2008 or 2009. In 2011, while there were 428,000 international students in the UK (including EU students), the TNE number stood at 504,000, a 23% increase in one year”.

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The salient issue is that today the growth of TNE provision is outstripping that of international student mobility, which itself continues to expand.

With regard to TNE activities in Ireland two things are clear:

1. While we are ahead of most countries in terms of attempting to collect TNE data11_{we do}

not have a clear understanding of the full extent of the activities of our institutions in this sphere. To address this Education in Ireland has commissioned a piece of research entitled “Understanding Transnational Education in Ireland”. This research, due to be published shortly has attempted to catalogue TNE and related activities and will enhance our knowledge of international education in Ireland in the broadest sense. This research has not been attempted in any other country.

2. As table 1 illustrates the inclusion of offshore and distance education activities over the last few years does change the international education picture for Ireland quite dramatically, with 23% of our international student population being offshore. More time and information will be required to fully understand and analyse the changing environment, but it is evident that the picture emerging for Ireland reflects global patterns as the international education landscape changes. Today's discerning and savvy student is increasingly anticipating a sophisticated offering which allows greater flexibility than, for example, a traditional four year full-degree programme and expects a range of opportunities delivered across many different platforms while at the same time aspiring to be geographically closer to home and away for less time.

11_{Apart from the UK and Australia, Ireland is the only country which collects data on “offshore” and “distance} education students”.

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2.4 Level of Study for International Students

Programme levels for international students as for domestic students are categorised according to the National Framework of Qualifications. This survey is particularly interested in international students at level 7 (ordinary bachelor’s degree) and above, level 6 students (advanced/higher certificate) and level 5 students (certificate) are included if they are on a pathway towards a high degree. Some professional qualifications are also included (Non NFQ award in chart 6 below).

The majority of exchange students (particularly Erasmus students) are studying at level 8 (75%), and 92% of offshore students are also at this level with 4% at postgraduate level (level 9). Distance education students (which may include students on joint degrees, articulation arrangements, dual degrees or other arrangements) demonstrate a similar pattern with 85% at level 8 and 19% at level 9.

Chart 6 highlights the levels at which full-time international students in Ireland are engaged.

Chart 6: International Students by Level of Programme 2010/11 & 2011/12 (Full-time only - excludes offshore & distance education students)

Level 8

Level 6 and below Non NFQ a ward Level 10 Level 9 Level 7 50 1,050 2,050 3,050 4,050 5,050 6,050 7,050 8,050 2011/12 2010/11

Source: Education in Ireland, 2012

As has always been the case, bachelor programmes are the most popular for full-time students (a third of whom are medical students). Level 9 programmes are showing an

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increase following a slight decrease in numbers last year, particularly at taught Masters level. PhD numbers are continuing to grow at a strong pace with an increase of 35% over 2010/11. These students now account for 20% of full-time students based in Ireland (up from 16% last year), which is high by international standards. Traditionally tuition at PhD levels is low as fees are often waived, or students are in receipt of some sort of scholarship or bursary. However bench fees do still apply and it is very positive to note that Ireland is attracting high levels of academic researchers particularly in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) fields.

Fifty-one percent of PhD students are from EU countries and as illustrated by table 3, the top countries of origin are Italy, China and the UK.

Table 3:Top ten countries of origin and field of study for PhD Students2011/12

Rank Top Countries of Origin Top Fields of Study

1 Italy (384) Science (860)

2 China (308) Humanities & Related (651)

3 UK (244) Computing/IT (402)

4 Germany (234) Engineering (398)

5 USA (213) Medicine (272)

6 India (200) Other Health (& Vet) (146)

7 Poland (152) Social/behavioural Science (132)

8 Spain (147) Law (113)

9 Malaysia (122) Business & administration (96)

10 France (111) Agriculture & related (33)

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2.5 Subject Choices for International Students

The disciplines most sought after by international students in Ireland (and globally) have remained fairly consistent over the years. Chart 7 provides a breakdown of the main subject choices over the last two years and some commentary on the key field of study follows.

Chart 7: International Students by Subject 2010/11 & 2011/12 (All - includes offshore & distance education students)

Tourism & related Other

Med/Other Health/Vet

Business & Admin Law Social Science Computing/Maths Science/Ag Engineering & Arch

Humanities/Creative arts/Ed

0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000 6,000 7,000 8,000 9,000 10,000 2010/11 2011/12

For the second year, business and administration subjects have passed out the humanities in popularity (largely due to the inclusion of offshore students, 75% of whom are taking business and related programmes). These students are mainly studying at undergraduate level with 84% at level 8 and below. Postgraduate numbers are low in these fields with 14% at level 9 and only 1% at level 10.

The tuition income generated by all business & administration students is €34.5 million.

The “humanities” label covers a very broad range of disciplines and includes arts, languages, creative arts and education as well as some “combined” programmes. International students

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have always been attracted to the humanities in Ireland and our strength in these fields is well recognised internationally. Over two thirds of international students taking humanities programmes in Ireland are exchange or short-term students. Of those studying on a full-time basis (n=2,188), 52% are taking a postgraduate degree.

The tuition income generated by all humanities students is €28 million.

The medical category is another broad grouping which includes five categories as illustrated by table 4 below:

Table 4: Medical Students 2011/12 (All)

Discipline Number Income (€m)

Medicine 3,565 103

Other health areas 770 7

Nursing 621 1

Veterinary 180 4

Dentistry 84 1.6

Medicine (and related disciplines) has been a key focus for Ireland in relation to international students for many years, although capacity within these disciplines is limited with little possibility of growth. Medical students come from all over the world, but particularly from the USA, Canada and the Gulf States.

In the main, students from all categories within this grouping are studying at undergraduate level. Pure medicine provides a good example with 76% of these students at level 8 and below (the latter referring to medical foundation programmes), 13% at level 9 and 11% at level 10.

It should be noted that the growth evident in chart 7 for 2011/12 is unlikely to reflect an actual increase of such proportions, but is due to the inclusion of offshore students and one medical college providing all their international postgraduate and offshore numbers which they had not been a position to provide previously.

The tuition income generated by medical students is €102.5 million and a further €14 million is generated from “other” health disciplines (see table 4).

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STEM programmes (science, technology, engineering, and maths) are continuing to perform well with increases evident in all these areas over last year and indeed for the last three years. This is positive news in terms of Ireland’s commitment to the development of STEM programmes both nationally and internationally. It is in these areas that we are seeing the growth in PhD numbers alluded to above.

 Within science, 53% of international students recorded under this survey were studying at postgraduate level (12% at level 9 (masters) and at 41% at level 10 (PhD).  Within computing/IT/Maths 67% of international students were studying at

undergraduate level, 15% at level 9 (masters) and at 18% at level 10 (PhD).

 Within Engineering, 71% of international students were studying at undergraduate level, 10% at level 9 (masters) and at 19% at level 10 (PhD).

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2.6 Country of Origin of International Students

According to OECD figures12_{, in 2009, almost 3.7 million tertiary students were enrolled}

outside their country of citizenship, representing an increase of more than 6% on the previous year, and over 77% had chosen to study in an OECD country. The same report indicates that the largest numbers of international students are from China, India and Korea, with Asians accounting for 52% of all students studying abroad worldwide.

The inclusion of offshore and distance education students this year and last has led to a change in the country of origin profile. Table 5 which follows lists the 25 top countries of origin for Ireland during the 2011/12 academic year. The data is broken down by whether the student is studying onshore or offshore and is compared with 2010/11 figures. Countries with particularly high levels of offshore students are highlighted in grey.

The dominance of US students and very low numbers of Indian students have meant that Ireland’s figures have never quite mirrored international patterns. Chinese students are of great importance as they are to every destination country, but numbers in Ireland appear to have dropped sharply, while at the same time the increase in offshore numbers has ensured that the overall figures remain constant. Students from the Arab States have increased both onshore and offshore which reflects Ireland’s increased promotional activity over the last five years as well as the growing numbers from that region studying overseas (7% of all international students now come from the Arab States - their top three destinations are France, USA and UK13_).

European numbers are increasing slightly although there is an unexpected drop in UK and French numbers at Erasmus level.

Indian, Pakistani and Nigerian numbers continue to decrease and students from sub-Saharan Africa continue to increase very slightly. With significant investment made by the sector and EI in India in 2012 it is expected that student numbers will rise from this country during 2013. Student numbers from Latin America are low, but it is anticipated that the recent signing of the Brazil/Ireland Science without Borders agreement will result in higher numbers of

12_{Education at a Glance 2011, OECD.}

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Brazilian students over the next five years.

Table 5 International Students by Country of Origin 2010-12

Rank Country of _Origin Ireland Offshore/_distance 2011/12 _Totals 2010/11 _Totals Difference

1 China 2,751 2,349 5,100 5,105 -5 2 USA 4,415 31 4,446 4,386 60 3 France 2,092 5 2,097 2,447 -350 4 Singapore 141 1,678 1,819 1,545 274 5 Germany 1,727 22 1,749 1,709 40 6 UK 1,310 58 1,368 1,611 -243 7 Malaysia 1,168 123 1,291 1,168 123 8 Sri Lanka 17 1,126 1,143 723 420 9 Spain 909 227 1,136 1,110 26 10 Canada 975 69 1,044 884 160 11 Italy 899 2 901 625 276 12 Saudi Arabia 705 124 829 379 450 13 India 788 28 816 858 -42 14 Bahrain 79 727 806 23 783 15 Kuwait 416 32 448 312 136 16 Poland 439 3 442 415 27 17 Nigeria 391 10 401 559 -158 18 Netherlands 336 4 340 241 99 19 Pakistan 297 8 305 367 -62 20 UAE 232 37 269 101 168 21 Belgium 190 1 191 173 18 22 Austria 184 2 186 200 -14 24 Vietnam 58 127 185 133 52 23 Finland 183 2 185 154 31 25 Sweden 170 1 171 191 -20

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2.6.1 Details for Priority Countries and Europe14 China

Chinese students remain the most mobile on the planet, accounting for 16% of all international students. There are well over half a million Chinese students abroad and their most popular destinations are USA (194,000), Australia (87,000), Japan (86,000), the UK (55,000) and Republic of Korea (46,000).

For many years the USA topped the country of origin list for Ireland, but now China (including Hong Kong) holds that place with 5,100 students registered in Irish HEIs (accounting for 16% of the total international enrolment). However as indicated by table 5 above almost half (46%) of these students are studying offshore or on distance programmes (up from 1,618 last year when these students accounted for 32% of the total). At the same time the number of Chinese students studying in Ireland is down from 3,070 last year to 2,751 in 2011/12 – a drop of 10% and a strong illustration of the point made above on the shifting approaches to international education and the growing importance of TNE.

Table 6: Chinese Students, key indicators 2011/12 (all) Location University 55% IOT 35% Private 9% Other 1% Key Disciplines Business 48% Computing/IT 15% Engineering 15%

Percent studying full-time 51%

Tuition income €26 million

China has become an important destination country itself, hosting 72,000 or 2% of the globally mobile student population.

14_{Statistics on international mobility in this section are taken from the following sources: OECD, Education at a} Glance 2011 http://www.oecd.org/education/highereducationandadultlearning/48631079.pdf

UNESCO UIS: http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/Pages/international-student-flow-viz.aspxand Open Doors (IIE): http://www.iie.org/en/Research-and-Publications/Open-Doors

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USA

While the number of US students studying abroad has more than trebled over the past 20 years, it is still the case that less than 2% of US students choose to study abroad. These figures are low by international standards and are increasing at a slow pace (1.3% this year). Approximately 274,000 US students studied abroad last year on short term programmes and it is estimated that a further 50,000 studied on full undergraduate or postgraduate programmes15_.

Ireland has always been an important destination for US students, particularly for JYA programmes, and has remained in 9th _{place internationally for over a decade. Given the}

competition, this is an important achievement for the country. Open Door figures for 2012 reveal an increase of 3.1% in JYA students choosing Ireland (n = 7,007). Destination countries which come in ahead of Ireland are the UK, Italy, Spain, France, China, Australia, Germany and Costa Rica. Although numerically no longer the most significant country of origin for Ireland, the USA continues to be the most important country for those studying in Ireland – only a very small fraction study offshore. US numbers overall have increased by about 1.5% over the last year.

Table 7: USA Students, key indicators 2011/12 (all) Location University 89% IOT 2% Private 8% Other 1% Key Disciplines

Humanities & related 64%

Business 10%

Medicine 4%

Tuition income €34 million

As table 7 shows American students are characterised by their strong interest in humanities programmes and are mainly exchange or short-term students. They are predominantly located in the university sector and generate a high level of tuition income (second only to Malaysian students, most of whom are studying medicine - see table 8).

15

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Malaysia

Approximately 54,000 Malaysian students study overseas and Malaysia hosts around 58,000 international students. Ireland has always been an important destination country for Malaysian students, and consistently falls within the top ten destinations. The most important destination for Malaysian students is Australia followed by the UK, USA, Russian federation, Indonesia, Japan and New Zealand.

Of all the tier 1 priority countries, Malaysia has shown the most growth over the last year with an increase of just over 10% in student numbers. A third of this increase is in offshore students where numbers have grown from 83 to 123 over the last year. Three-quarters of Malaysian students are studying medicine and most are full-time students located within the universities.

Table 8: Malaysian Students, key indicators 2011/12 (all) Location University 91% IOT 4% Private 5% Other <1% Key Disciplines Medicine 74% Business 14% Science 3%

Percent studying full-time 90% Tuition income €36 million

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India

Internationally mobile Indian student numbers have been increasing dramatically over the last decade with at least 200,000 now studying overseas. Between 2000 and 2009 alone there was a 256% increase in numbers and in the UK during that period, Indian students increased from 3,963 to 36,10516_.

Ireland currently attracts less than 0.5% of these students and alone amongst English speaking destination countries has continued to see a decline in 2011/12. A new, focused and well received strategy for the Indian market is being rolled out by Education in Ireland and the HEIs, which combined with an improved visa processing system and some other incentives, is expected to deliver significant growth in Indian student numbers during the 2012/13 academic year and into the future.

Table 9: Indian Students, key indicators 2011/12 (all) Location University 54% IOT 10% Private 32% Other 4% Key Disciplines Business 33% Computing/IT 20% Science 15%

Tuition income €6.7 million

16 _{Indian Student Mobility to Selected European Countries: an overview. Chanda and Mukherjee, (Indian} Institute of Management, Bangalore 2102)

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Europe

Europe is not a priority focus for international promotion for Ireland as strong institutional relationships are already in place and efforts are focused on Tier 1 markets elsewhere, but nonetheless European students account for over one third of our international students. Most of these students are from EU countries and are studying on Erasmus or other exchange programmes. As discussed above, while these students generate less than half of the tuition income of US or Malaysian students, they do bring immeasurable value in terms of relationship building and contribute firmly to the internationalisation goals of the country and the education institutions.

Table 9: EU Students, key indicators 2011/12 (all) Location University 79% IOT 19% Private 11% Other <1%

Percent studying

full-time 47%

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3. Conclusion

The statistics on international student numbers for the 2011/12 academic year demonstrate uneven progress toward the targets set by the Internationalisation Strategy (2010-2015). Overall the figures do not demonstrate strong growth in student numbers from the education sector’s priority countries during the 2011/12 academic year. However, it is anticipated that focused promotional and development strategies now in place the US, India, Malaysia, Brazil and some of the Gulf States will bear fruit in the 2012/13 academic year. The international education sector in Ireland is faced with a number of impediments to progress: limited resources; inadequate staffing; systems which are unfit for purpose; uneven academic buy-in and potential capacity issues. These constraints at the institutional level combine to militate against up-scaling when considered together with the relatively low levels of investment at the national level compared to competitor countries, and the changing face of international education as highlighted under the TNE discussion.

Notwithstanding the above, progress has been achieved across quite a number of objectives and targets over the last year. For instance, we have almost achieved our 2015 financial targets and it appears safe to conclude that international education (including the English language sector) in Ireland is today a billion euro per annum sector. Excellent progress is also evident in areas such as high level research and offshore development - with regard to the former; Ireland’s figures are well above international norms.

While work remains to be done, progress has also been made in other areas such as regulation and legislation to protect both academic quality and student welfare. The institutions and the national brand are active and respected and gradually becoming noticed internationally.

If you require clarification on any of the issues raised or have any queries, please contact Gill Roe gill.roe@enterprise-ireland.com

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Appendix 1 – List of HEIs Surveyed

Universities and University Recognised Colleges 1. Dublin City University

2. National University of Ireland Maynooth 3. NUI-Galway

4. Trinity College Dublin 5. University College Cork 6. University College Dublin 7. University of Limerick

8. Institute of Public Administration (NUI Recognised) 9. Milltown Institute (NUI Recognised)

10. National College of Art and Design (NUI Recognised) 11. Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (NUI Recognised) 12. Shannon College of Hotel Management (NUI Recognised) Colleges of Education (University recognised)

13. Froebel College of Education (TCD) 14. Marino College of Education (TCD) 15. Mary Immaculate College (UL) 16. St Patrick’s College of Education (DCU) Institutes of Technology

17. Athlone Institute of Technology

18. Blanchardstown Institute of Technology 19. Cork Institute of Technology

20. Dublin Institute of Technology

21. Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Technology & Design 22. Dundalk Institute of Technology

23. Galway, Mayo Institute of Technology 24. Institute of Technology, Carlow 25. Institute of Technology, Sligo 26. Institute of Technology, Tallaght 27. Institute of Technology, Tralee 28. Letterkenny Institute of Technology

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29. Limerick Institute of Technology 30. Waterford Institute of Technology Independent Colleges

31. American College Dublin 32. Burren College of Art 33. Dublin Business School 34. Griffith College Cork 35. Griffith College Dublin 36. Griffith College Limerick 37. Hibernia College 38. Independent Colleges 39. Newpark School of Music 40. USIT (TCD summer school) 41. IBAT

Other Colleges

42. All Hallows College (DCU)

43. Development Studies Centre, Kimmage 44. National College of Ireland

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Appendix 2 – Country of Origin - All

Country of Origin - Full list 2011/12

Rank Country of Origin Ireland Offshore & _distance 2011/12 2010/2011 Difference

1 China 2,751 2,349 5,100 5,105 -5 2 USA 4,415 31 4,446 4,386 60 3 France 2,092 5 2,097 2,447 -350 4 Singapore 141 1,678 1,819 1,545 274 5 Germany 1,727 22 1,749 1,709 40 6 UK 1,310 58 1,368 1,611 -243 7 Malaysia 1,168 123 1,291 1,168 123 8 Sri Lanka 17 1,126 1,143 723 420 9 Spain 909 227 1,136 1,110 26 10 Canada 975 69 1,044 884 160 11 Italy 899 2 901 625 276 12 Saudi Arabia 705 124 829 379 450 13 India 788 28 816 858 -42 14 Bahrain 79 727 806 23 783 15 Kuwait 416 32 448 312 136 16 Poland 439 3 442 415 27 17 Nigeria 391 10 401 559 -158 18 Netherlands 336 4 340 241 99 19 Pakistan 297 8 305 367 -62 20 UAE 232 37 269 101 168 21 Belgium 190 1 191 173 18 22 Austria 184 2 186 200 -14 24 Vietnam 58 127 185 133 52 23 Finland 183 2 185 154 31 25 Sweden 170 1 171 191 -20 26 Australia 154 16 170 126 44 28 Russian Federation 152 8 160 139 21 27 Romania 158 2 160 144 16 29 Lithuania 157 1 158 103 55 30 Norway 155 1 156 178 -22

31 Korea, Republic of _(South) 106 42 148 138 10

32 Indonesia 17 122 139 106 33

33 Brazil 123 1 124 101 23

34 Nepal 119 4 123 129 -6

35 Czech Republic 113 1 114 119 -5

36 Iran, Islamic _{Republic of} 110 2 112 83 29

37 South Africa 100 4 104 109 -5 38 Turkey 100 2 102 102 0 40 Switzerland 94 7 101 63 38 39 Hungary 100 1 101 86 15 41 Japan 95 1 96 95 1 42 Denmark 94 1 95 71 24 43 Oman Sultanate of 82 82 34 48 44 Greece 79 1 80 86 -6 45 Portugal 76 1 77 80 -3 46 Latvia 76 76 63 13

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47 Seychelles 42 32 74 32 42 48 Mexico 70 3 73 43 30 49 Bangladesh 71 1 72 96 -24 50 Mauritius 62 3 65 73 -8 51 Philippines 62 2 64 106 -42 52 Slovakia 61 61 51 10 53 Kazakhstan 58 58 53 5 54 Bulgaria 56 56 56 0 55 Malawi 51 51 25 26 56 Burma/Myanmar 4 46 50 46 4 58 Zimbabwe 43 2 45 53 -8 57 Botswana 45 45 49 -4 59 Moldova - Republic _of 44 44 30 14 60 Ethiopia 27 16 43 33 10 62 Sudan 32 11 43 33 10 61 Malta 40 3 43 36 7 64 Jordan 28 13 41 30 11 63 Egypt 34 7 41 41 0 65 Qatar 16 24 40 10 30 66 Ukraine 40 40 43 -3

67 Libyan Arab _Jamahiriya 37 1 38 22 16

68 Iraq, Republic of 28 8 36 21 15

70 Zambia 13 21 34 21 13

69 Croatia 34 34 29 5

71 Taiwan 28 5 33 18 15

72 Tanzania - United _{Republic of} 20 12 32 44 -12

73 Kenya 19 10 29 34 -5

74 New Zealand 26 3 29 31 -2

75 Uganda 26 3 29 32 -3

76 Trinidad and _Tobago 25 2 27 32 -5

77 Estonia 26 26 17 9

78 Macedonia, Former Yugoslav

Republic of the 25 25 25

80 Thailand 17 7 24 25 -1

79 Mongolia 24 24 13 11

81 Chile 17 6 23 11 12

82 Cyprus 22 22 13 9

84 Syrian Arab _Republic 14 7 21 15 6

83 Cameroon 21 21 26 -5

86 Ghana 19 1 20 23 -3

85 Bosnia & _Herzegovina 20 20 26 -6

87 Slovenia 20 20 17 3

88 Lebanon 9 10 19 6 13

89 Unknown & _{seeking Asylum} 12 3 15 107 -92

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91 Venezuela 14 14 8 6

92 Luxembourg 12 1 13 14 -1

94 Georgia 10 1 11 7 4

93 Belarus 11 11 16 -5

95 Israel 11 11 10 1

96 Serbia and _Montenegro 11 11 12 -1

99 Palestinian _{Territory, Occupied} 9 1 10 9 1

97 Kosovo 10 10 0 10 98 Mauritania 10 10 0 10 100 Rwanda 9 9 4 5 101 Albania 8 8 9 -1 104 Azerbaijan 6 1 7 4 3 102 Afghanistan 7 7 6 1 103 Algeria 7 7 2 5 105 Jamaica 7 7 4 3 106 Peru 7 7 8 -1 107 Somalia 7 7 0 7 110 Sierra Leone 5 1 6 3 3 108 Congo 6 6 6 0 109 Congo - (DRC) 6 6 11 -5 111 Swaziland 6 6 0 6 114 Cambodia 1 4 5 3 2 115 Maldives 2 3 5 4 1 113 Bermuda 4 1 5 2 3 112 Angola 5 5 7 -2 116 West Indies 5 5 0 5 117 Argentina 4 4 8 -4 118 Ecuador 4 4 5 -1 119 Iceland 4 4 5 -1 125 Uzbekistan 2 1 3 3 0 120 Bahamas 3 3 2 1 121 Bolivia 3 3 1 2 122 Burundi 3 3 3 0 123 Liberia 3 3 4 -1 124 Tunisia 3 3 10 -7 126 Barbados 2 2 2 0 127 Cayman Islands 2 2 3 -1 128 Costa Rica 2 2 2 0 129 El Salvador 2 2 2 0 130 Gibraltar 2 2 1 1 131 Lesotho 2 2 2 0 132 Madagascar 2 2 2 133 Mali 2 2 5 -3 134 Mozambique 2 2 2 0 135 Panama 2 2 2 0 136 Senegal 2 2 0 2 137 Togo 2 2 1 1 143 Brunei Darussalam 0 1 1 1 146 Colombia 0 1 1 12 -11 166 Samoa 0 1 1 1 0

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169 Turkmenistan 0 1 1 1 0

138 Andorra 1 1 1 0

139 Armenia 1 1 4 -3

140 Aruba 1 1 0 1

141 Benin 1 1 1 0

142 British Indian _{Ocean Territory} 1 1 1

144 Burkina Faso 1 1 2 -1

145 Central African Rep 1 1 2 -1

147 Cote d'Ivoire 1 1 4 -3 148 Cuba 1 1 2 -1 149 Eritrea 1 1 2 -1 150 French Polynesia 1 1 1 0 151 Gambia 1 1 2 -1 152 Guinea 1 1 1 0 153 Haiti 1 1 1 0 154 Korea, DRC (North) 1 1 1 0 155 Kyrgyzstan 1 1 1 0 156 Liechtenstein 1 1 1 0 157 Monaco 1 1 0 1 158 Nicaragua 1 1 0 1 159 Niger 1 1 0 1

160 Papua New Guinea 1 1 1 0

161 Paraguay 1 1 0 1

162 Puerto Rico 1 1 1 0

163 Reunion 1 1 1 0

164 Saint Lucia 1 1 1 0

165 Saint Vincent & _{the Grenadines} 1 1 1 0

167 Tajikistan 1 1 1 0

168 Timor Leste 1 1 0 1

170 Uruguay 1 1 3 -2

171 Belize 0 0 1 -1

172 Cyprus (Non -EU) 0 0 1 -1

173 Dominica 0 0 2 -2

174 Dominican _Republic 0 0 1 -1

175 Gabon 0 0 1 -1

176 Guyana 0 0 1 -1

177 Heard & McDonald _Islands 0 0 1 -1

178 Honduras 0 0 2 -2

179 Mayotte 0 0 1 -1

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International Students in Irish Higher Education