Mr. Lewis Purser:

The IUA welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the discussions on North-South student enrolment and recognises that significant barriers to progress remain in the HE system in the Republic of Ireland, where our eight member universities are located. IUA universities have a long history of contributing to peacebuilding and cross-Border co-operation on this island and, therefore, we recognise the need to develop a more strategic approach to North-South student enrolments, as well as wider co-operation across higher education activity.

Recent funding initiatives in research and innovation to assist in addressing societal and economic challenges on our island have provided renewed opportunity for collaboration across academia, both North and South. Similar initiatives to address wider student enrolment issues would be welcomed. The passage of the recent Higher Education Authority Act 2022, with outlined responsibility to promote North-South co-operation, could provide a new strategic impetus to address some of the challenges that I will outline in this opening statement. Furthermore, the move by the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, to create an integrated tertiary education sector in Ireland is an opportunity for enhanced cross-Border student mobility.

Strategic decision-making on cross-Border enrolments has been hampered by the underinvestment in HE over the past decade. Delivery on Government’s commitment of an additional €307 million annually to bring HE funding back up to the level required for a globally competitive and knowledge-based economy will go a significant way towards ensuring that the university sector can meet the challenges and opportunities of increasing North-South enrolments. Underinvestment has likewise reduced the capacity of the sector to engage in outreach activities, which are required if we are to attract significant numbers of students from Northern Ireland.

In addition, as noted by the committee’s recent report, differences in the upper-secondary education and examination timelines constitute a barrier, and this has been significantly exacerbated by the continuing delays in releasing leaving certificate results since 2020. Even pre-Covid, there was a tight window between leaving certificate results and acceptance of course places in the Republic. The timelines operated by the State Examinations Commission do not allow the CAO and Irish universities to make earlier offers, resulting in difficulties for Northern Ireland applicants with A-levels, but also causing significant issues for leaving certificate students seeking to secure a place in a Northern Ireland university, or anywhere outside of Ireland, in a timely manner. This lack of alignment between leaving certificate and A-level timeframes means that applicants from outside the State are significantly disadvantaged in this process and will have received offers to universities in other jurisdictions first. Consequently, it is no surprise that the conversion of Northern Ireland applications to admissions has fallen significantly. Without real co-operation cross-Border and a commitment to reforming leaving certificate examinations and results timeframes, any real progress will remain hampered.

As noted in earlier hearings of the committee, and evidenced by HEA and CAO data, cross-Border undergraduate student numbers continue to decline. The most recent CAO figures for Northern Ireland applicants are included in appendix 1 of my statement. A significant proportion of students from Northern Ireland attending higher education largely attend four of the universities in the Republic: Trinity College Dublin; ATU; University College Dublin; and University of Galway, along with Dundalk Institute of Technology. Among IUA members, at undergraduate level, Northern Irish students are concentrated in high points courses in the health sciences, business management, arts and social sciences.

It should be noted that the combination of higher points applications to universities in urban areas with acute accommodation shortages is a key factor in low levels of conversion from applications to acceptances. The rising cost of living, coupled with unprecedented accommodation and travel costs, will undoubtedly continue to depress potential student enrolments in our universities from Northern Ireland. The IUA has called for additional capital investment to support universities to provide increased student accommodation.

Co-operation on the North-South research programme, funded by the shared island unit, demonstrates that progress can be made if system-level funding and supports are in place. Of the funded projects, 19 have included PhD student places, helping to grow the number of postgraduate research students cross-Border. This is an important area of focus post Brexit, given the challenges for colleagues in the North on research collaboration and funding.

A further area where there is scope for development is in the strengthening of guidance support to potential students, with relevant and up-to-date information on possible pathways and opportunities.

We welcome the ongoing work by the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science on a single portal for career guidance, as well as the work spearheaded by the Department of Education on a lifelong guidance framework. These projects provide an opportunity to include North-South considerations.

For North-South enrolments to improve funding must be increased to build capacity for greater outreach work in Northern Ireland and vice versa. The delayed timelines for leaving certificate results must be addressed urgently, and a strategic system-level vision is required to support the universities to attract students from Northern Ireland. The Shared Island research programme should be expanded with further postgraduate places. The accommodation and cost-of-living issues need to be addressed for Northern Irish students, as for all students, if the barriers to entry are to be overcome.

With the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement approaching it would be a valuable opportunity for the Government to set out a plan for increased North-South student mobility and for higher education to play a greater role in cross-Border co-operation. I thank the committee. I look forward to any questions and to contributing to the discussion.