‘Indian students prefer IT, medical, data science courses in Ireland,’ says envoy Brendan Ward

Indians prefer postgraduate courses in Ireland. (Graphics by Angshuman Maity)

There has been a steady rise in the number of applications (as per data) from Indian students. What courses are they preferring?
While we offer over 5,000 diverse programmes at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels, Indians have shown a preference for IT, data science, pharmaceuticals, engineering, business and management. Over the last two years, we have seen a rising interest in marketing, design, medicine and nursing, tourism and hospitality, as well as new age courses on sustainability, filmmaking and equine sciences.

What kind of job roles do Indians get? How many vacancies are offered to non-STEM course candidates?
Indians, like any other graduates from Irish higher education institutions, have opportunities to apply for jobs across sectors depending on demand. Ireland has a Critical Skills Occupation List which has details of jobs and skills that are in demand, including those seeking ICT professionals, engineers, but also health and nursing professionals, teachers, social science experts, media professionals for instance.

Indians have traditionally preferred the US and the UK over other countries. How do you plan to attract them?
Ireland has much to offer Indian students, be it the high standard of education, renowned faculty, a plethora of programmes to study from with affordable tuition. We also provide industry led modules and internship opportunities, and the option to stay back post studies and find work opportunities. Considered the Silicon Valley of Europe, Ireland has a thriving job market with thousands of multinational companies.

As awareness about these opportunities grows in India, we are seeing exponential growth year on year in the number of incoming students from India.

Do you plan to increase scholarships or grants to Indian students?
Institutions here offer a range of scholarships which can be anything from €2000 off your fee upto almost 50 per cent off your tuition fee. These are offered along with the offer letter. Some also have Global Excellence scholarships where 50 per cent or 100 per cent of tuition fees are waived for exceptional international students.

The Government of Ireland scholarship for international students is merit based and opens up every year in January and applications are to be sent in latest by March end. If successful, students will receive a full fee waiver of one year’s tuition fee as well as a stipend worth €10,000 for living expenses.

As per data revealed by MOE, over a million Indian students are pursuing higher education in foreign countries. Where do you think the Indian higher education system lacks?
I don’t think it is a matter of what the education system lacks, but study abroad is an opportunity to know other countries and cultures and to have experiences not available at home. It should be mind-broadening and personally enriching.

The Indian government has recently allowed foreign universities to open campuses here. Is any university in Ireland that has plans to open up its campuses here?
The National Education Policy offers many opportunities for collaboration between Irish and Indian institutions of higher learning. At present, there are no plans to set up campuses in India but there is a scope to do a lot in the future. There are cooperation agreements between Irish and Indian universities and we would hope to see growth in this area.