IRELAND

Ireland consistently places among the Top 10 or 20 in the world on international rankings of countries’ quality of life, peace, and human development.

Ireland ranks among the world’s Top 10 most competitive countries and has a highly sophisticated business infrastructure including the European headquarters of the world’s largest technology firms (e.g., Google, Facebook, and eBay).

The higher education system in Ireland is robust, with globally ranked universities renowned for research output as well as Institutes of Technology and private third-level colleges able to match the diverse goals and talents of students.

Ireland offers favourable currency exchange rates, tuition fees, and living costs relative to other popular destinations.

International students are attracted to the welcoming visa and immigration environment in Ireland. Under the Third Level Graduate Scheme, (1) honours undergraduate degree holders (Level 8) can stay in Ireland to work (and/or to seek employment) for 12 months after finishing their studies, and masters and postgraduate students (Levels 9 and 10) can work for up to 2 years after they graduate.

Roughly 35,000 students from 161 countries are working toward higher education degrees in Ireland, with another 120,000 studying English in the country.

The European Commission has recently ranked Ireland #1 in Europe for economic growth.