Concerns around high unemployment rates among international graduates in Ireland

The Morning Lead

Records obtained by The Journal show that a UCC business master’s consistently made up of non-EU enrolments had a graduate unemployment rate of 21% in 2024.

STUDENT UNION OFFICERS at Irish universities are concerned about high unemployment rates among international students in Ireland.

Students from outside the EU pay up to quadruple the amount EU students spend on fees to study here, and the number of international students enrolling in Irish institutions reached a record high of 44,500 in Ireland in 2024/25, according to the Higher Education Authority (HEA).

But in 2024, the HEA annual survey, which had a 50.9% response rate, found that 13.7% of international graduates were unemployed, in comparison to just 5% of Irish graduates.

Of the students in employment, 24% of international students indicated they were in jobs to which their qualifications were irrelevant, in comparison to over 19% of Irish students.

Anushka Baisoya, Postgraduate Officer at University College Dublin (UCD) Students’ Union, believes many international students do not grasp the graduate outcomes available to them, and pay “crazy” enrolment fees because they think they will get a high-paying job – which she said is one of the main draws to studying abroad for many.

High unemployment rate

Data accessed by The Journal under the Freedom of Information Act found that a business master’s course in University College Cork (UCC) which is consistently made up of non-EU enrolments had an unemployment rate of 21% among the 84 graduates who responded in 2024.

The master’s in Business Analytics costs €10,800 for EU students and €22,300 for non-EU students.

In the 2023/24 academic year, the course had 136 non-EU students and 20 EU students enrolled. In the 2024/25 academic year, there were 160 non-EU students and just nine EU students, and last year, 139 non-EU students and 19 EU students.

The programme is described on the UCC website as designed to provide students with the skillset to be successful in “two of the most highly sought-after positions in the” sector.

However, of the graduates from the 2023/24 academic year who responded, 21% were unemployed.

A total of 155 students graduated from the course, and 84 responded to the survey. Of this number, 65 were in employment or further study, and 18 were unemployed.

Arsh Khan, international student representative at UCC Students’ Union, said: “There is a stark disconnect between the expectations marketed to international students overseas and the harsh realities of the Irish job market.”

Speaking to The Journal, Khan said this disconnect is “acutely” visible with courses like the MSc in Business Analytics, where he said there are very few jobs currently available.

“I know many talented graduates from this programme who have been searching for months without any success,” he said.

“Because of this, my biggest piece of advice to prospective non-EU students is that they must do their own independent research into the Irish job market before applying. Do not rely solely on university marketing,” he said.

A spokesperson for UCC said: “Ireland tracks graduate outcomes through an annual survey which is publicly available through the HEA website. The most recent data (2024) published in November 2025 shows that 80% of all graduates were working or due to start work within 9 months after graduation. UK data for 2024 year showed 81% of graduates in employment or unpaid work within 15 months post-graduation.”

“The inaugural MSc Business Analytics programme class at UCC showed 79% of graduates (54% response rate) were working or in further study within 9 months of their graduation, in line with national averages,” they said.

“Ireland is not immune from worldwide cost of living and housing supply pressures. UCC continues to take positive steps to ease the housing supply and cost challenges.”

The spokesperson said that international students account for around 21% of the UCC student community, encompassing more than 150 different nationalities.

Expectations vs reality 

UCD Postgraduate officer Baisoya told The Journal that, in her experience, most international students she meets spend around 10 months applying for hundreds of jobs before they either finally get one or return to their home country.

“They face every day to get that one job, and some students just lose hope and go back to their country,” she said.

Baisoya, who is an international student herself, said visa restrictions are a major obstacle to employment for international students.

Most non-EU students studying in Ireland are on a Stamp 2 visa, allowing them to work up to 20 hours a week during the semester and up to 40 hours a week during holiday periods. After graduating, they may transition to a Stamp 1G visa to work full-time for up to two years under the Third Level Graduate Scheme.

However, if they want to remain in Ireland after that, they must secure an employment-based permission which can require employers to sponsor them. Baisoya believes this acts as a deterrent in hiring. 

A spokesperson for The Department of Justice said: “The primary purpose of the Stamp 2 is to provide opportunities for study in Ireland.”

They said all applicants must show that they have sufficient funds to support their stay in Ireland.

“The Third Level Graduate Programme was developed for international students to seek graduate level employment and to apply for an employment permit through the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment,” they said.

“This period on the Stamp 1G immigration permission is to provide the graduate and any prospective employer an opportunity to make an application for an employment permit to the DETE. If that application is successful, the graduate can register on a Stamp 1 immigration permission.”

‘Sell dreams’

Baisoya believes there are misconceptions around studying in Ireland as an international student.

The Journal recently highlighted that international students felt they were sold “fake dreams” around studying in Ireland while at an Irish government education roadshow in India.

Baisoya said: “A lot of these universities are tied up with the agencies in their home countries, where they sell the dreams of ‘you can go abroad, live a fancy life, you’ll make a lot of money’.”

However, she believes the advertisements “sell dreams” based on the success stories of international students who do get good jobs, while ”nobody actually talks about how many of them didn’t get the job and how much they are suffering right now”.

“That’s what students or their parents see, and they think ‘I’ll also send my kid abroad, and he’ll be making so much money,’” she said.

Baisoya also said some students, particularly non-EU students in business or information courses, are “shocked” to find that their courses are predominantly made up of students from their home country, rather than being the diverse experience they expected.

She said that by the time students realise the reality does not match their expectations, “they can’t do anything, because they are now here.”

Bryn Butler, International Students’ Officer at Trinity College Dublin (TCD), said she doesn’t believe international students fully understand the reality of the cost of living and housing crisis when they choose to study here.

“There are plenty of people who have come here without seeing the campus for the first time and then have to scramble for accommodation depending on when they get accepted or who have to deal with a tonne of visa issues,” she said.

Butler believes this lack of understanding comes from a lack of research from students, but also from how third-level education in Ireland is marketed abroad.

A spokesperson for the Department of Higher Education said: “Ireland remains committed to attracting talented international students and researchers as part of the government’s international education strategy, Global Citizens 2030.”

Speaking to The Journal, they said international students make a significant contribution to Ireland’s higher education sector, research system, economy and wider society. 

“Prospective students have access to a range of publicly available information provided by Government departments, State agencies and higher education institutions regarding study opportunities, immigration permissions, and employment pathways, including published graduate outcome statistics.” 

“As autonomous bodies, higher education institutions are responsible for the design, delivery and promotion of their academic programmes, including the provision of information to prospective students.”