James Lawless called for greater focus on delivering education overseas, warning of challenges in scaling the traditional model of bringing large numbers of international students into the country.
Lawless said there were “challenges in the traditional model of international students coming to Ireland en masse”, as he wrapped up a five-day visit to China that included trips to Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong.
“And while many bring great diversity and skills and knowledge to the system, there are pressures as that model scales in terms of resource consumption, student accommodation… visas can be problematic at times – all the things that we’re familiar with,” said Lawless, as reported by The Irish Times.
The minister said Ireland already lacked sufficient accommodation for its domestic higher education population and pointed to partnerships allowing Irish institutions to deliver qualifications overseas as another route to internationalisation.
His comments put renewed emphasis on transnational education (TNE) as Ireland continues to attract growing numbers of international students, with the latest available Higher Education Authority (HEA) data recording 44,535 non-Irish-domiciled enrolments in 2024/25, up 10.2% in a year.
India was the largest source market, accounting for 20.6% of those enrolments, followed by the US at 13.8% and China at 9.9%, while almost three-quarters of the international cohort came from outside the EU.
Lawless’s China visit offered a clear example of the overseas model, with China now Ireland’s main TNE partner and the number of joint programs between institutions in the two countries doubling since 2014.
More than 130 joint programmes involving 16 Irish higher education institutions and 54 Chinese institutions now serve over 16,000 students in China.
“This is a great testament to the positive work being undertaken by our higher education institutions,” Lawless said ahead of the trip, describing the partnerships as allowing Ireland to bring its education standards, innovation culture and academic values to China.
The minister also attended a TNE event organised by Education in Ireland and the Irish embassy in Beijing, where several Irish and Chinese higher education institutions were set to announce new partnership agreements.
The renewed emphasis on overseas delivery comes alongside Ireland’s existing international student ambitions, with the government’s Global Citizens 2030 strategy placing internationalisation at the heart of its education and research agenda.
We’re aware that there are challenges in the traditional model of international students coming to Ireland en masse
James Lawless, Ireland’s higher education minister
Speaking at The PIE Live Ireland in October 2025, Lawless described international education as “very important to Ireland”, highlighting the economic, social, cultural and academic benefits international students brought to the country.
“For international students, our aspiration is simple: that each one experiences a genuine Irish welcome,” he said at the time, while also acknowledging accommodation as a key challenge.
The tension between international growth and domestic capacity predates those comments, with government official Ian McKenna telling The PIE in 2024 that attracting international students onto Irish campuses was “absolutely critical” while acknowledging pressures around housing and visas.
Those pressures now extend beyond accommodation, with universities warning that rising enrolments and costs are stretching a higher education system struggling to keep pace with demand.
As The PIE News reported this week, the chairs of six universities backed calls for €190 million in additional annual core funding, warning that the sector faces an annual shortfall of more than €250m despite increased state support.
The seven universities represented by the Irish Universities Association (IUA) enrolled more than 10,000 additional students between 2022 and 2024, a 7% increase without a corresponding rise in funding, according to the chairs.
Across the wider system, enrolments reached 278,880 in 2024/25, rising 4.9% in a year and marking the largest annual percentage increase since 2020/21.
Against that backdrop, Lawless’s latest intervention points to a broader model of internationalisation in which Ireland continues to host international students while its institutions expand their reach through education delivered abroad.
“This allows us to bring our education standards, our innovation culture and academic values to China,” Lawless said of the partnerships.
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