Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 29 September 2026
916. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to provide details in tabular form of total international non-EU students enrolled in Irish higher education institutions each year since 2021/22 and the related international fee income. [68550/26]
View answerThe Higher Education Authority (HEA) collects and publishes student data annually from publicly funded higher education institutions. The table below shows the number of international students, including non-EEA students, enrolled in publicly funded Irish higher education institutions since the academic year 2021/22.
|
Year |
Total |
Undergraduate |
Postgraduate |
|
2021/22 |
22,545 |
12,535 |
10,010 |
|
2022/23 |
25,245 |
13,660 |
11,585 |
|
2023/24 |
29,560 |
14,460 |
15,100 |
|
2024/25 |
32,940 |
15,635 |
17,305 |
It should be noted student numbers for the academic year 2025/26 are not yet available and are expected to be published on the HEA website in the coming weeks.
Irish higher education institutions are autonomous bodies and as such are responsible for the management of their own financial affairs. Accordingly, my Department does not hold data on fee income received by institutions from international students.
