Ireland is known as the ‘Land of Saints and Scholars’. Ireland’s reputation for high-quality education has made the nation a frontrunner in the education sector. The country’s long and acclaimed tradition of excellence in providing high-quality education has got recognition from the world. Historically, Ireland has been one of the eminent seats of education in Europe. It retains the reputation till date with successive modern governments attaching equal regard and importance to education.
Every year almost 200,000 students from all over the world come to study in Ireland, and this number grows every year. With great employability, rich cuisine and culture, and one of the warmest people on the planet, we have listed down 10 great reasons why Ireland should be on the top of students list of preferred overseas education destinations.
Reasons to Study in Ireland
The Irish education system is considered to be one of the best in the world. The academic quality assurance systems of Ireland are highly regarded and sophisticated, which has helped it to consistently secure a position in the top 20 of the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook. The Irish system focuses hugely on the heuristic methodology rather than the pedagogy intensive method of education.
Ireland invests 782 million annually in research in their higher education institutions. As a result, Irish higher-education institutions now conduct leading research in at least 19 fields, spanning natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities.
Ireland has strong links with both the UK and the US. Higher educational institutions in Ireland permit credit transfer provision to many universities and colleges in the UK and the US. It increases the opportunities for students to continue their education in these countries.
Globally, Ireland is the second most attractive country for FDI after Singapore. Apart from tech giants like Google, Facebook, IBM, Apple, and Twitter, 9 of the world’s top 10 pharmaceutical companies have their main office for European operations in Ireland. This means there is no shortage of jobs for students who are studying in Ireland.
Ireland is one of those study destinations which provide high-quality education with affordable fee structure inclusive of tuition, housing, insurance, and various cultural activities and educational tours. Tuition rates, living costs, and other recurring costs are largely lesser than those in the US and the UK.
Irish government along with several institutions and international organizations offer many scholarships and fellowships to international students, depending on their field of study and the program they plan to pursue.
Ireland has the reputation of being a safe and welcoming country to live and study. The Global Peace Index ranked Ireland as the 12th “most peaceful country” in 2009 and 2013. The leading travel site Lonely Planet voted it as the friendliest country in the world in 2008 and 2010. Irish people are renowned for their friendliness.
Students are sure to have the time of their life while studying in Ireland. The island has produced four Nobel Laureates in Literature; surprisingly, James Joyce, the country’s most famous literary icon never won the Noble. The streets of Dublin are steeped in art and literature. Students can chat with the locals in countless taverns, visit the museums and art galleries dotting the cities, attend storytelling events, learn and play traditional Irish sports, and soak in the rich musical culture on display in countryside festivals all year long.
Higher education in Ireland consists of universities, institutes of technology, colleges of education, and specialist colleges. Side by side with technology courses, the institutes of technology cover a wide range of vocational programs in subjects including hospitality, healthcare, media, textiles, etc. Specialist colleges on the other hand offer courses in a single subject area. However, overseas education in Ireland attracts a major chunk of Indian students in literature, technology, communications, history, and environmental studies.
There are four degree-awarding bodies: The National University of Ireland (UCD, UCC, DCU, and Maynooth), Dublin University, Dublin City University and the University of Limerick. Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) is the awarding body for third-level educational institutions outside of the university sector.
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University level
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Top Universities
Ireland has one of the best and internationally renowned education systems in the world that offer the finest academic quality. Education in Ireland is mainly provided by 7 universities, 14 institutes of technology, including the Dublin Institute of Technology and 7 colleges of education. All 34 Irish institutions provide degrees over a broad range of subjects spanning over 5,000 programs that are internationally recognized.
Top Courses
Universities in Ireland offer every student a variety of courses and programs as per their area of interest.