by Kathy Masterson
SOME 2,500 international students from 100 countries attending the University of Limerick this year are expected to generate an economic boost of €19 million for the Mid West.
Then number of overseas students attending the university this year is the highest in its 40-year history.
The figure of €19 million is based on student spending estimates of between €7,000 and €12,000 in one year and does not include tuition fees paid to UL.
“International students make a very significant impact to our region in terms of our economy, tourism but also in the cultural links built which will continue for years to come,” said Josephine Page, director, International Education Division at UL.
She continued: “I think the reason we excel in this area is because so many of our students are encouraged to partake in international study themselves and so we welcome international students as we’d like our students to be welcomed abroad. Thirty per cent of UL undergraduate students spend a semester abroad, this is through Erasmus, non-EU exchange or Cooperative Education.”
International students currently account for 13.5 per cent of UL’s total student population, a figure that has steadily increased each year.
Last year saw almost 600 UL students travel abroad on study or work placements, making it the largest and most successful Erasmus programme in Ireland.
