Ninth Level Ireland

“The deadly coronavirus outbreak could have a major impact on international student mobility, sector leaders have warned, after thousands of learners were left stranded in China. Australia, New Zealand, the US and Singapore were among countries that had banned entry to foreigners travelling from China as of the start of this week, while Japan and South Korea were denying entry to travellers from Hubei province, the centre of the outbreak …” (more)

[Jack Grove, Times Higher Education, 4 February]

“A Chinese student who traveled to Ireland from Wuhan in recent days has been isolated as a ‘precautionary measure’ amid coronavirus fears. The patient, who is a student at Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT), arrived in Ireland yesterday, having left Wuhan before the city was locked down and is showing no symptoms of the virus …” (more)

[Denise O’Donoghue, Irish Examiner, 27 January]

“British universities have warned students considering travelling home to China to celebrate Chinese new year that they risk being quarantined on their return. The University of Chester said it had warned its Chinese students in the UK that if they returned to their homeland they may not be readmitted without a suitable quarantine period …” (more)

[Nazia Parveen and Libby Brooks, Guardian, 24 January]

“Sir, – Francis Oliver Neary (Letters, January 20th) is correct when he writes that the proposed International Education Mark will provide quality assurance for international students. Unfortunately, despite the relevant legislation passing in the summer, it seems like it will be some time before the mark is fully implemented …” (more)

[Sarah Lennon, Irish Times, 22 January]

“The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) are encouraging their members to lobby Senators to make amendments to the Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2019 that would prevent international students from facing significant rises in the cost of health insurance during their time in Ireland …” (more)

[Finn Purdy, Trinity News, 17 December]

“College spent over €1.4m on recruitment of non-EU undergraduate and postgraduate students during the 2018/19 financial year, starting October 1 2018 to July 31 of this year. The figures were obtained by a request under the Freedom of Information Act …” (more)

[Finn Purdy, Trinity News, 28 November]

“Over the last several months, opponents of the ongoing protests in Hong Kong have clashed with protest supporters at universities across the world. In Australia and New Zealand, pro-Beijing students have occasionally shoved, doxed, and threatened peaceful protesters …” (more)

[ChinaFile, 4 November]

“The growth in the proportion of international students attending Irish third-level colleges is significantly outpacing that of Irish students, new figures show. International student numbers grew by 26% in the past three years, climbing to 14,412 this year. Irish student numbers grew by 5% over the same period, or some 122,257 in 2019 …” (more)

[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 24 October]

Abstract: Some of the main concerns in international higher education are the feeling of isolation among international students and their inability to adapt to the host environment, which may result in sub-optimal academic performance. Theoretically, peer learning can be an effective method to reduce these problems since it has the capacity to address isolation and adaptability issues among international students in a way that improves their learning experience and outcomes. Given the above, our study was designed to investigate this topic, focusing on the experience of international students. In this exploratory case study of a leading Irish university, we adopted a survey method via questionnaire to quantify and compare the experiences of a sample of international students at the said university. Five aspects of peer learning were explored, namely usage rate, current practices, outcomes, challenges, and coping strategies. We also included an open-ended section in the survey instrument for respondents to offer qualitative suggestions to the host institution. Through methodological triangulation of the quantitative and qualitative data, we discovered diverse practices, challenges, and outcomes of peer learning across different groups of international students in this university. The paper concludes with a discussion of research implications and suggestions for future studies.

Idris, A, Ion, G, Seery A Peer learning in international higher education: the experience of international students in an Irish university, Irish Educational Studies, 2018, 38, 1, 1-24.

“Julia Bochenek, a second-year English Literature student at Trinity, is one of the many international students living in one of Dublin’s – and Ireland’s – many deluxe purpose-built student accommodation complexes …” (more)

[Rachel O’Leary, University Times, 5 October]

“Trinity College Dublin is considering cutting its intake of Irish students by up to a quarter over the next five years in order to protect the quality of its education. Such a move would likely result in a sharp increase in the number of CAO points required for courses due to increased competition for fewer places …” (more)

[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 2 October]

“Global university rankings matter. Real or not, perceptions matter. In a globalised world, they matter when it comes to competing for research funding from multinational corporations, or other sources that want to believe they are investing in the best talent and infrastructure to optimise the outcomes. Irish graduates have also found they matter to prospective employers, in the US and elsewhere around the world …” (more)

[Katherine Donnelly, Independent, 12 September]

“Zoe Ellingboe almost didn’t go to Trinity. The first-year theoretical physics student was close to making the jump to university abroad, due to Irish institutes slipping in higher education rankings. ‘Trinity was the centre of theoretical physics during the 1800s, and they were very much toting that when we had our first Introduction to Physics – which sounded really cool, except [for] the fact that the thing they’re most proud of is in the 1800s’, she said …” (more)

[Sarah Mooney, Irish Times, 11 September]

“Four Malaysian students are locked in a bitter deposit dispute after leaving what might be Dublin’s most shocking rented accommodation. Unbelievable photos show what appears to be a small industrial lot that has now been converted into an ‘apartment’ in the capital’s city centre …” (more)

[Gavin O’Callaghan, DublinLive, 29 August]

“For the past decade or so, Irish universities with an eye on expansion have been looking towards Asia or the Middle East. Most major colleges now have formal links or satellite campuses spread right across the region and are attracting growing numbers of international students …” (more)

[Bill Corcoran, Irish Times, 17 August]

“Universities in the Netherlands fear the government may force international students to do part of their degrees in Dutch, potentially decimating recruitment from outside the country. Several sources have told Times Higher Education that this is one of the ideas being considered by the country’s Ministry of Education, Culture and Science ahead of a policy announcement expected next month …” (more)

[David Matthews, Inside Higher Ed, 15 August]

“Recent events have stirred debate over the treatment of international students in China. From special ‘buddy programmes’ for visiting students to lenient treatment of misbehaviour, many decry the apparent preferential treatment given to foreigners on campus …” (more)

[Wang Huiyao, South China Morning Post, 6 August]

“Students from outside Europe who live in the greater Dublin area will be able to renew their immigration registration through a new online system from August 26th. Minister for Justice and Equality, Charlie Flanagan announced plans on Monday to replace the current system which requires Dublin-based non-EEA students to present in person at the Burgh Quay Registration Office of the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) …” (more)

[Jade Wilson, Irish Times, 30 July]

“Language students, who in some cases paid as much as €4,800 to study here, have been left ‘high and dry’ following the sudden closure of an agency offering packages across the country. A large number of Brazilian students, who arranged to study in Ireland through ‘Time2 Travel’, have been left in limbo after the company ceased operations …” (more)

[Jess Casey, Irish Examiner, 21 June]

“Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail): Níl éinne eile anseo. B’fhéidir go gcríochnóidh an díospóireacht níos luaithe ná mar a chríochnódh sé de ghnáth. Fianna Fáil is committed to maintaining and improving the highest standards in education. It is intended to increase the number of international students and the number of students entering higher education in this country is increasing all the time. It is vital, therefore, that these students are supported by a high quality education system …” (more)

[Dáil debates, 12 June]