{"id":635827,"date":"2026-09-25T17:42:13","date_gmt":"2026-09-25T17:42:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/635827\/"},"modified":"2026-09-25T17:42:13","modified_gmt":"2026-09-25T17:42:13","slug":"ireland-looks-overseas-as-minister-questions-international-student-model","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/635827\/","title":{"rendered":"Ireland looks overseas as minister questions international student model"},"content":{"rendered":"

James Lawless called for greater focus on delivering education overseas, warning of challenges in scaling the traditional model of bringing large numbers of international students into the country.<\/p>\n

Lawless said there were \u201cchallenges in the traditional model of international students coming to Ireland en masse\u201d, as he wrapped up a five-day visit to China that included trips to Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd while many bring great diversity and skills and knowledge to the system, there are pressures as that model scales in terms of resource consumption, student accommodation\u2026 visas can be problematic at times \u2013 all the things that we\u2019re familiar with,\u201d said Lawless, as reported by The Irish Times.<\/p>\n

The minister said Ireland already lacked sufficient accommodation for its domestic higher education population and pointed to partnerships allowing Irish institutions to deliver qualifications overseas as another route to internationalisation.<\/p>\n

His comments put renewed emphasis on transnational education (TNE) as Ireland continues to attract growing numbers of international students, with the latest available Higher Education Authority (HEA) data recording 44,535 non-Irish-domiciled enrolments in 2024\/25, up 10.2% in a year.<\/p>\n

India was the largest source market, accounting for 20.6% of those enrolments, followed by the US at 13.8% and China at 9.9%, while almost three-quarters of the international cohort came from outside the EU. <\/p>\n

Lawless\u2019s China visit offered a clear example of the overseas model, with China now Ireland\u2019s main TNE partner and the number of joint programs between institutions in the two countries doubling since 2014.<\/p>\n

More than 130 joint programmes involving 16 Irish higher education institutions and 54 Chinese institutions now serve over 16,000 students in China.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a great testament to the positive work being undertaken by our higher education institutions,\u201d Lawless said ahead of the trip, describing the partnerships as allowing Ireland to bring its education standards, innovation culture and academic values to China.<\/p>\n

The minister also attended a TNE event organised by Education in Ireland and the Irish embassy in Beijing, where several Irish and Chinese higher education institutions were set to announce new partnership agreements.<\/p>\n

The renewed emphasis on overseas delivery comes alongside Ireland\u2019s existing international student ambitions, with the government\u2019s Global Citizens 2030 strategy placing internationalisation at the heart of its education and research agenda.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re aware that there are challenges in the traditional model of international students coming to Ireland en masse<\/p>\n

James Lawless, Ireland\u2019s higher education minister<\/p>\n

Speaking at The PIE Live Ireland in October 2025, Lawless described<\/a> international education as \u201cvery important to Ireland\u201d, highlighting the economic, social, cultural and academic benefits international students brought to the country.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor international students, our aspiration is simple: that each one experiences a genuine Irish welcome,\u201d he said at the time, while also acknowledging accommodation as a key challenge.<\/p>\n

The tension between international growth and domestic capacity predates those comments, with government official Ian McKenna telling The PIE in 2024 that attracting international students onto Irish campuses was \u201cabsolutely critical\u201d while acknowledging pressures around housing and visas.<\/p>\n

Those pressures now extend beyond accommodation, with universities warning that rising enrolments and costs are stretching a higher education system struggling to keep pace with demand.<\/p>\n

As The PIE News reported this week, the chairs of six universities backed<\/a> calls for \u20ac190 million in additional annual core funding, warning that the sector faces an annual shortfall of more than \u20ac250m despite increased state support.<\/p>\n

The seven universities represented by the Irish Universities Association (IUA) enrolled more than 10,000 additional students between 2022 and 2024, a 7% increase without a corresponding rise in funding, according to the chairs.<\/p>\n

Across the wider system, enrolments reached 278,880 in 2024\/25, rising 4.9% in a year and marking the largest annual percentage increase since 2020\/21.<\/p>\n

Against that backdrop, Lawless\u2019s latest intervention points to a broader model of internationalisation in which Ireland continues to host international students while its institutions expand their reach through education delivered abroad.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis allows us to bring our education standards, our innovation culture and academic values to China,\u201d Lawless said of the partnerships.<\/p>\n

Join us for The PIE Live Ireland in Dublin, October 12-13<\/a><\/p>\n

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