Record numbers of international students

Despite the recession, more than 12,000 foreign students from 138 countries are studying full time in Ireland's third level institutions - a record figure.

According to a recent report in the Irish Independent, based on the lastest statistics released by the Higher Education Authority, there has been significant growth in student numbers from India and China, but the largest number, at 2,570, continue to come from the US, followed by Britain (1,309), China (1,104), Malaysia (987), Canada (601), Germany (535), France (524), India (440), Italy (291) and Poland (235).

Higher Education Authority chief executive Tom Boland said: 'These figures show that the Irish higher-education system is increasingly recognised internationally for the quality of its teaching and research.'