爱尔兰高等教育学生人数创历史新高

IRELAND

Record number of students in higher education

The number of students in higher education in Ireland has climbed to a record high with almost a quarter of a million people studying a third-level course last year. The figures have been welcomed, but also point to financial challenges, writes Carl O’Brien for The Irish Times.

The new figures look set to cement Ireland’s position within the European Union as the member state with the highest proportion of school-leavers progressing to higher education. Some 44,000 new entrants began higher education courses while more than 70,000 graduated from either undergraduate or postgraduate qualifications, according to official figures from the Higher Education Authority. 

However, the figures also point to challenges facing the sector with new financial data showing that universities are more reliant than ever on private income. While universities used to receive most of their income from the state, the bulk of their funding now comes from private sources such as student contributions, research grants, international student fees, loans and other sources.