Jan O’Sullivan TD, Minister of Education and Skills, is delighted to announce enhanced levels of supports from Irish higher education institutions (HEIs) to support the US Government's plans to double the number of American students studying abroad over the next five years.
Minister O’Sullivan is currently leading an education mission to NAFSA, the largest education conference in the world, which is taking place in Boston this year. Fifteen higher education institutions from Ireland are taking part in the NAFSA conference.
Speaking today, Minister O'Sullivan said: “The Irish Government is fully committed to the internationalisation of education and the very positive economic and cultural benefits this can unlock. The students of today can all benefit from an international dimension to their education, and this will stay with them for a lifetime. The more we can do to help facilitate this through our world class education system, attracting international students to study in Ireland and form a lifelong bond with our country, the better”
Giles O’Neill, head of Education in Ireland, added: “I’ve rarely seen such a well coordinated plan around a vision, our education institutions providing every reason for American students to come and study in Ireland, the institutional links, the common ground, the investment in student experience and the positive impact it has on US and Irish relationships that already go very deep”
Currently less than 10% of American students study abroad and the US Government endorsed Generation Study Abroad initiative aims to increase this number dramatically to 600,000 by 2019. This week at the NAFSA conference in Boston the Irish Universities Association announced funding support for 350 scholarships for US students to study in Ireland in this year. Institutes of Technology Ireland also announced a funding package that will see 100 American students come to study in Ireland. Irish private colleges will support 80 scholarships. Together with the scholarships that will flow from the Government's direct support for the Generation Study Abroad initiative the total number of scholarships available to US students wishing to study in Ireland this year is more than 500.
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Notes for Editors:
NAFSA
NAFSA (http://www.nafsa.org/) is the world's largest nonprofit association dedicated to international education and exchange. NAFSA's 10,000 members from more than 3,500 institutions, in more than 150 countries are administrators, advisors, instructors, students, advocates, volunteers, and all those committed to the growth of international education.
Education in Ireland
Enterprise Ireland operates the Education in Ireland national brand under the authority of the Minister for Education & Skills.