The number of fee-paying Indian students coming to DCU to study is set to rise, in line with the Government’s plan to double the number of Indian students in Ireland by the end of 2014.
Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton, hopes to have 2,000 Indian students studying in Ireland by the end of next year, while Enterprise Ireland have a strategy to bring that number to 5,000 within the next five years.
It is envisaged that the majority of these new students will be studying at post-graduate level and will complete their Masters in Irish third-level institutes.
Despite the Ireland India Institute being based at DCU, the university’s International Office were not aware, at the time of going to print, of any plans to increase the number of scholarships awarded to students from the country.
There are 21 Indian students currently studying at DCU, with three having been awarded scholarships to study here.
Sylvia Schroeder, from DCU’s International Office, explained that as the university hosts the Ireland India Institute, “DCU becomes the home for Indian research and collaboration with institutions over there”.
Naheed Zaman, a GOI Scholar who studies a Masters of Science in Management (Cloud Computing and Commerce), said that he was drawn to study in Ireland due to the Masters being one year in length, as well as Ireland’s work experience opportunities.
“The government of Ireland have an initiative that international students who complete a Masters course here can stay for one more year and get work experience,” he explained.
When asked what the impact of an increased number of Indian students studying in DCU would be, Gary Osborne, from DCU’s International Office, said it has “a very positive impact on DCU because it really improves our internationalisation…it’s really important that [students] interact with people from different corners of the world before graduation.”
Announcing his plans, Minister Bruton said “international students have a significant impact on the Irish economy. In the short term they deliver fee income, local expenditure and job creation in Ireland, and in the medium to long term, they build strong strategic relationships with future key influencers in India which can deliver major benefits in the form of trade and investment over future years.”
The increase in Indian students will also see 650 Irish jobs created nationally.
Suzanne Cooper
Image Credit: Martina Callaghan / The International Office
Leave a Reply