Dr. Vivienne Patterson:

Yes, absolutely. There are students who come down specifically to study certain subjects that they may not be able to avail of in Northern Ireland – that is a fact – for example, veterinary or some specialised kind of arts and humanities. If we look at student engagement, we see that international students have a good experience in the higher education institutions in Ireland. There is a benefit for them. Many people stay in the country afterwards and work. We see that they are integrated, there is good engagement with Republic of Ireland students and engagement within the institutions. It seems to be a positive experience for anybody coming into the country to study higher education.