Donna McGettigan (Clare, Sinn Fein)
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982. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the plans his Department has to build on and expand the numbers of higher education students in the State, with the last figure from 2023 is at 202,450; if he will provide updated figures for 2024 and 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32610/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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The most recent full-time student enrolment data from the Higher Education Authority (HEA) confirms a continued upward trend in participation in higher education. In 2023/2024, there were 202,450 full-time students enrolled (excluding National College of Ireland, newly included in HEA figures from this year), up from 198,970 in 2022/2023. When all modes of study are included, the figures for 2023/2024 and 2022/2023 are 265,905 and 256,785, respectively. This increase reflects growing student demand and the expanding capacity of the system. Figures for the 2024/2025 academic year will be published later in the year.

The Department for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (DFHERIS) continues to prioritise the expansion and diversification of higher education opportunities in response to growing student demand, skills needs, and workforce shortages. Building on the 2023/2024 student enrolment figures, the Department is implementing a range of targeted initiatives and investments to increase participation, particularly in health and social care professions and through flexible access routes. My Department has made substantial progress in expanding higher education capacity to meet national skills needs.

The development of diverse and progressive pathways for learners in further and higher education is a key strategic goal of DFHERIS. Tertiary programmes, first launched in July 2023, are a new kind of educational provision which allows a student to begin a degree course in further education, before transitioning on to complete their degree in a higher education setting. In Budget 2025, €4m was allocated towards the development of tertiary programmes.

Entry to tertiary programmes is outside the CAO system, providing an alternate pathway to a degree for individuals who may not have received the requisite points for a course they are passionate about. The tertiary pathway also aims to increase access to higher education for those are excluded from the traditional pathway, particularly the priority access groups outlined in the National Access Plan.

In September 2023 the first intake of tertiary programmes commenced, with 152 students enrolled on 13 programmes. 2024 saw an increased intake with more than 220 students embarking on 19 degree programmes.

A total of 38 courses are now available for applications for the academic year 2025/26 including new courses in occupational therapy, nursing, social care and the creative arts. The most in-demand tertiary programmes are those offering an alternative route into key regulated professions. At present there are tertiary degrees offered in Occupational Therapy, Nursing, and Social Work. The NTO is working closely with the HSE to implement a phased approach to assist in addressing workforce shortages.

Springboard+, established in 2011 continues to play a vital role in expanding access to higher education by offering flexible, work-focused learning opportunities to adult learners across the country. Aligned with national skills priorities, Springboard+ supports individuals to upskill or reskill in high-demand areas such as ICT, cybersecurity and sustainability.

Springboard+ is free or heavily subsidised and offered in a flexible format (part-time, blended, and online) making higher education more accessible to all. Springboard+ 2025 launched in May 2025 is providing almost 8,000 places on 249 courses and includes micro-credentials.

Springboard+ is open to the unemployed, employed and those returning to the workforce, subject to meeting eligibility criteria. It has demonstrated strong outcomes in terms of learner progression and graduate employability, with the majority of participants securing employment or further study upon completion.

As demand grows for a skilled and adaptable workforce, Springboard+ will continue to be an important driver of increased participation in higher education.

In recent years nearly 1,000 additional places have been created in health and social care programmes in Irish universities.

Looking ahead, a further 461 places will be introduced by 2028, including 320 in 2025, supported by investment in staffing, infrastructure, and clinical placements. It was also announced last year that the University of Galway will launch a new Graduate Entry Medicine (Rural and Remote) stream, which will provide 48 additional places annually once fully rolled out, targeting GP shortages in rural Ireland. The University of Limerick will introduce a Direct Entry Medicine programme, building on its expertise in Graduate Entry Medicine to further expand capacity. Separately, a co-funded agreement with Ulster University and Queen’s University Belfast has delivered 389 ringfenced healthcare places over 2024 and 2025, including 50 undergraduate medicine places annually for Irish students, who commit to applying for HSE internships upon graduation.

In addition, new pharmacy programmes will be established at Atlantic Technological University, South East Technological University, and University of Galway. This will double the number of pharmacy training programmes nationally, delivering over 150 additional pharmacy graduates per year at full roll-out.

Dental education is also being enhanced, with a new Bachelor of Dental Surgery at RCSI launching in 2025 to provide at least 20 new places per year through a community-based training model. Veterinary education will be expanded through new programmes at Atlantic Technological University and South East Technological University, expected to admit up to 40 students annually from 2026, subject to regulatory approval.

These coordinated expansions reflect the Department’s strategic commitment to addressing workforce shortages, while broadening access to high-quality professional education and creating more opportunities for students throughout the country.

The Government remains committed to ensuring that every learner has a viable pathway to fulfilling their potential in higher education. Through investment, innovation, and inclusive access strategies, my Department is supporting both national development and individual opportunity, as evidenced by the range of provision across the sector.

Donna McGettigan (Clare, Sinn Fein)
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983. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills for an update on the current percentage of full-time higher education international students, with the last figure from 2023 showing they make up just 17% of students; to provide updated percentage figures for 2024 and 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32611/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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In the 2023/2024 academic year, there were 40,400 International Students enrolled in publicly funded Irish Higher Education Institutions. The proportion of this cohort in the overall student body is set out in tabular form below:

The HEA figures for the 2024/2025 academic year are not yet available and are typically published in October each year.

Donna McGettigan (Clare, Sinn Fein)
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984. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills His Department's plans in addressing the significant decrease in numbers for Springboard enrolments with 11,033 enrolments in 2021, 10,545 in 2022 and just 9,444 in 2023; to provide updated figures for 2024 and 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32612/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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Springboard+, established in 2011 continues to play a vital role in expanding access to higher education by offering flexible, work focused learning opportunities to adult learners across the country. Aligned with national skills priorities, Springboard+ supports individuals to upskill or reskill in high-demand areas such as ICT, cybersecurity and sustainability.

Springboard+ is free or heavily subsidised and offered in a flexible format (part-time, blended, and online) making higher education more accessible to all. In May 2025, I was delighted to launch Springboard+ 2025, which is providing almost 8,000 places on 249 courses and includes micro-credentials.

Springboard+ is open to the unemployed, employed and those returning to the workforce, subject to meeting eligibility criteria. It has demonstrated strong outcomes in terms of learner progression and graduate employability, with the majority of participants securing employment or further study upon completion.

As demand grows for a skilled and adaptable workforce, Springboard+ will continue to be an important driver of increased participation in higher education.

An increased budget allocation for Springboard+ was awarded as a temporary Government response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the years 2020-2022. The reduction in the budget allocation for Springboard+ after 2022 is the principal reason for the reduction in the number of places funded – and thus enrolments – from 2023 onwards.

It is important to highlight that the budget allocation for Springboard+ is on a calendar year basis, while the Springboard+ programme operates on an academic year. As such, projections on expenditure are required to be made on an ongoing basis and adjustments in the number of places that can be funded are made, if funding becomes available. Funding may free up following registrations when not all participants complete the registration process as anticipated, or when courses do not run, as not enough applications are received from suitably qualified applicants. In those circumstances, Springboard+ has been able to offer additional places to providers to run extra intakes or fund additional places on over-enrolled courses from the funding that has been freed up.

Springboard+ was funded on a multiannual basis for the 2022/23, 2023/24 and 2024/24 academic years. As per the Provider Contract with the HEA, courses are required to fill at least 75% of places to be re-funded in subsequent years, and any course that did not reach this threshold or any courses that did not run in 2023/24 would not have been re-funded in 2024/25, thus reducing the number of places funded between those programme years.

In relation to the reduction in the number of places funded in 2025, there was a new Call for Proposals earlier this year, however the average cost of delivering a course has increased by 11% since the last Call in 2022. Increased administrative costs, including data retention and storage space costs, have also been experienced over time. Additional costs have also been incurred owing to the inclusion of Micro-credentials under Springboard+ 2025.

Efforts are, however, underway to ensure that enrolments are maximised within the existing allocation of places. Application numbers for Springboard+ 2025 are very strong to date. As of 10th June, there are 5,827 applications (from 4,510 unique applicants) for 7,719 places. At the same date in 2024, 4,616 applications had been received. Additionally, applications were open for three weeks by this point in 2024 compared to one week in 2025.

As can be seen from the fill rates in the Higher Education Indicators table (provided separately), places on Springboard+ funded courses have filled over 100% in the 2023 and 2024 programme years, and the HEA are seeing an increase of approximately 25% in the number of applications for Springboard+ 2025 compared to the same time last year.

A comprehensive marketing and communication strategy to promote Springboard+ 2025 courses will launch shortly. This will include promoting the new courses across various platforms including radio, outdoor advertising, and social media. This will include Irish language media. This will ensure the message reaches as wide an audience as possible.

Twinned with this approach, each of the higher education providers will run their own campaigns to promote their individual programmes.

Please find attached table of Springboard+ enrolments updated to 2024, along with some information on applications to date for Springboard+ 2025.

Donna McGettigan (Clare, Sinn Fein)
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985. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if his Department plans to address the demand for English-language students; and for an update on the number of English-language students for 2024 and 2025. [32613/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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My Department does not collate data on the number of students studying English language courses in Ireland. English Education Ireland (EEI) is the largest association of English language schools in Ireland, representing 63 member schools. According to EEI’s Annual Report on English Language Training in Ireland 2024, 128,761 international students from 125 countries chose to study in an EEI member school in 2024. This represents a growth of 2% on the international student numbers recorded by EEI in 2023. A copy of this Report is available at: . Data on the numbers studying English language courses in Ireland in 2025 will be available in 2026.

Positioning Ireland as a first-choice destination for international learners, researchers and innovators is a key pillar of the Government’s policy for international education, as set out in Global Citizens 2030: Ireland’s International Talent and Innovation Strategy to 2030.

TrustEd Ireland is a new education quality mark and is a flagship initiative under pillar two of Global Citizens 2030. Education institutions seeking the TrustEd Ireland mark will be required to demonstrate that they meet new national standards encompassing the overall quality of their programme offerings, their qualifications, and the services and supports that they offer to international learners.

TrustEd Ireland will promote Ireland as a first-choice destination for international learners by ensuring that international learners enrolled with higher education and English language education providers are protected and receive a quality, consistent learning experience, from enrolment through to the completion of their education programme. Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) has statutory responsibility for administering the TrustEd Ireland scheme.

QQI opened the first application window for providers seeking to obtain the TrustEd Ireland mark in October 2024. The assessments of these applications are currently taking place. It is expected that the first cohort of providers will be authorised to use the mark in late 2025. It is anticipated that the second TrustEd Ireland application window will also open in the latter part of this year.