Growing number of Chinese students choose Ireland for HE

Chinese mainland students accounted for 10.9% of the international student body in Irish higher education last year, making China the third-largest source country for foreign students in Ireland behind India and the United States, according to the 2025 Report on Studying in Ireland, writes Xu Nuo for China Daily.

The report, jointly released by Chinese education consultancy EIC Education, Education in Ireland and University College Dublin at the Irish embassy in Beijing last week, provides insights into application trends for studying in Ireland, as well as popular programmes, scholarships and employment opportunities.

According to data from the Irish visa office, the number of visas issued to Chinese students for studying in Ireland reached 3,560 last year, the highest in a decade and a 10.52% increase compared to 2023. The number of Chinese students pursuing higher education in Ireland steadily increased from 2015 to 2019, declined from 2020 to 2022 during the COVID-19 pandemic, and began rising again in 2023, the report said.
Full report on the China Daily site