THE NUMBER OF students from India studying at third-level in Ireland is set to double.

The Minister for Jobs, Richard Bruton, said 2,000 Indian students are expected to be studying in Ireland by the end of next year, with a strategy in place to grow the number to more than 5,000 over the next five years.

The majority of the students will be at advanced post-graduate level, the Minister said.

The government and third-level institutes have been pushing to increase the number of students from outside the EU in recent years as they have to pay higher fees than Irish and other EU students.

Enterprise Ireland  said the five-year plan will see students will bring in around €50 million in direct income in fees with another €50 million in spending on accommodation and other related expenditure.

Minister Bruton said international students have a “significant impact” on the Irish economy and can help to create new jobs, with around 13 new jobs created for every 100 international students that study in Ireland.

“These Indian students also play an important role in deepening the business, cultural, education and research ties between India and Ireland,” said Bruton. “International education is a sector where Ireland can really excel and the progress being made by our colleges in the Indian market is tremendously encouraging”.

Minister Bruton made the announcement during a 5-day trade and investment mission to India.

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