Ireland’s international education sector risks hitting a “social license wall” if universities continue to expand without sufficient public support, experts have warned, pointing to concerns over housing, student experience and graduate outcomes.
At The PIE Live Ireland earlier this week, Jess Lister, director of education at Public First, said Ireland ranked highly in an EU-wide poll on whether a university degree was an impressive achievement, but respondents were less supportive of increasing international student numbers.
“The university system merrily cracks on with what it’s doing – educating students, growing, building degrees, bringing more people in – and you eventually [hit] a kind of social license wall,” she said.
Housing pressures, concerns about educational quality and graduate outcomes, and questions around community and belonging could all contribute to that resistance, Lister added.
Chris Rawlings, senior partner at Voyage, presented an analysis of online conversations and search behaviour suggesting that perceptions of international students in Ireland were comparatively negative across the markets his organisation tracks.
The university system merrily cracks on with what it’s doing – educating students, growing, building degrees, bringing more people in – and you eventually [hit] a kind of social license wall
Jess Lister, Public First
He said international student concerns about racism and exclusion were prominent, particularly in conversations involving Indian students, alongside issues such as employment, accommodation, course quality and return on investment.
Rawlings stressed that the data was not a substitute for representative polling, but argued that it offered a real-time indication of how prospective students and local communities were discussing international education.
“One of the things we’re seeing is that, unlike elsewhere, the conversation between local and international students is often negative,” he said, adding that some Indian students were warning others against coming to Ireland.
Celestine Rowland, managing director of Galway Business School and Galway Cultural Institute, said international education is increasingly becoming part of wider migration debates, despite students’ contribution to local economies and communities.
International students were among the most visible groups affected by population growth, but had little voice in public debate.
Rowland also warned that an over-reliance on particular recruitment markets could make students more visible and vulnerable to criticism.
Diversifying international student populations, she suggested, could help reduce the tendency to associate particular groups with local pressures.
She added that housing remains a significant concern – but stressed that international students should not be blamed for a shortage driven by wider population growth and other pressures.
The discussion also highlighted the tension between universities’ reliance on international student fees and their responsibility to maintain public trust.
Jonny Johnston, policy and research adviser at Trinity Global, said institutions needed to demonstrate the value international students bring to research, innovation, teaching and campus life.
But he argued that sustainable public funding was also essential to reducing universities’ dependence on international fees. It follows the news that Ireland’s higher education sector faces a funding shortfall of more than €250 million.
A funding model that leaves institutions reliant on recruitment income risks undermining the student experience, suggested Johnston, particularly if universities lack the resources to support teaching and student services.
Lister similarly questioned whether institutions could maintain public trust if financial pressures left them prioritising recruitment over student outcomes.
“If your incentive is, ‘I have to do this thing, otherwise I can’t run my institution’, you just chase the recruitment,” she said.
Rawlings warned that dependence on a small number of source markets could also leave institutions vulnerable as international student preferences and destination markets change.
He pointed to shifts in markets such as China, where growing domestic education capacity and alternative destinations could affect demand, arguing that focusing too heavily on one market was unlikely to be a sustainable long-term strategy.
Lister also urged institutions to demonstrate the contribution international students make to the wider economy, including through work in healthcare and teaching, entrepreneurship and participation in local projects.
“It’s just joining the dots in a lot more systematic way, rather than keeping it as ‘we do international recruitment over here, and we have our little paradigms over here,’” she said.
Johnston said universities needed to communicate their contribution to research and innovation more consistently, while recognising that messaging alone would not resolve the structural challenges facing the sector.
Rowland pointed to initiatives at Galway Business School and Galway Cultural Institute that bring students into contact with local businesses through industry weeks, projects addressing business needs and volunteering. She said these activities were beginning to support students’ links with employers and their prospects after graduation.
However, Lister cautioned against relying on promotional messaging without addressing the issues communities are experiencing.
In a climate of economic pressure, she said, institutions risk a backlash if they simply highlight their achievements without explaining how their work benefits the wider public.
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