Going back to class, going back to foreign cultures

Almost 45,000 non-national students went to Irish second-level schools last year.

After a whole summer enjoying the holidays, it is time for students to go back to school. And studying in an Irish school can mean doing an exchange without leaving home. One in eight students attending Ireland’s second-level schools last year were born overseas, according to data released by the Department of Education and Skills. Over 140 nationalities have citizens studying in the country.

The majority of the foreign students were born in the UK, with 22.5 per cent being represented by the UK. They are followed by Polish (15 per cent), Lithuanian (5.7 per cent), American (5.5 per cent) and Nigerian (5.2 per cent) respectively.

Spain, The Philippines, Romania, Latvia and Germany are the consecutive countries that have the most volumes of students studying here in Ireland, according to the study.