Brazilian agency Time2 Travel has cited financial difficulties for its sudden closure, meaning many of its customers will not travel despite having paid, and impacting students staying in residences it operated in Ireland.
An increasing number of non-EEA students are choosing Ireland for their higher education, with numbers rising by 45% between 2013 and 2017. But concerns remain over immigration procedures, accommodation and employment.
After 2017 marked the third year of strong growth for English language student numbers in Ireland, last year saw total enrolment in Irish ELT programs reach 121,462, a decline of 4.8%. However, total student weeks reached a record high.
International students attending Ireland's seven universities contributed an estimated €386 million to the economy during 2017/2018, helping under-resourced, "cash-strapped" institutions to plug the shortfall in state funding.
The Irish Universities Association has signed an agreement with the Ministry of Research, Technology, and Higher Education in Indonesia to participate in a new PhD scholarship scheme.
Some 62% of international graduates of Irish higher education institutions who went into work after graduating in 2017 found employment in Ireland, a HEA survey has revealed.
Dublin Business School has partnered with data science training provider Metis on the college's first internationally delivered live online course.
British Study Centres will open its first school in an English-speaking country location outside the UK, as it announced a new school, opening in 2019.