University: Number of NI students highest in decade

The number of Northern Ireland students at universities in 2020/21 was the highest in the last decade.

The Department for Economic Affairs (DfE) said part of the sharp increase in enrollments was due to a change in how A Level marks are awarded in 2020.

Students received grades calculated by schools in both 2020 and 2021 after summer exams were cancelled.

Just over 65,500 NI students were at the university in 2020/21, a 5% increase from 62,690 the previous year.

According to the DfE, this was the largest annual percentage increase in the past decade.

Three quarters of these students (48,920) studied in Northern Ireland and a quarter in other parts of the UK.

The department’s analysis also revealed that there were students enrolled in Northern Ireland from 137 different countries.

For example, almost as many students from India are enrolled at a university in Northern Ireland as from the rest of the UK combined.

DfE figures also show that in 2020/21, 16,620 students from Northern Ireland were studying at a higher education institution in England, Scotland or Wales.

Almost 5,500 were at universities in North West England and 3,755 in Scotland, the most popular areas.

Previous statistics from the DfE have shown that two-thirds of full-time Northern Ireland students who have studied elsewhere in the UK have not returned home to work after graduating.

DfE numbers include undergraduate and postgraduate students, full-time and part-time students, and those enrolled in Open University courses.

The DfE said the record surge in enrollment in 2020 was the result of a number of factors.

In addition to the changed assignment of A-Level grades, the number of available Bachelor’s study places has also increased, according to the analysis.

“Uncertainty about job prospects early in the pandemic may also have contributed to an increase in postgraduate study,” it said.

However, an increase in the number of young people entering university is likely to be associated with a sharp decline in enrollment in further education (FE) colleges.

The proportion of international students at Northern Ireland’s universities has also increased.

Three quarters of Northern Ireland’s 66,000 university students are from Northern Ireland.

Around 3,300 are from the rest of the UK, while around 2,000 are from the Republic of Ireland.

However, the DfE said around 17% of students enrolled in Northern Ireland come from countries other than the UK outside the European Union (EU).

These include about 3,150 in Northern Ireland from India, 2,000 from China and 1,500 from the Philippines.

Ten years ago 85% of students in Northern Ireland were from Northern Ireland.

DfE statistics also show that almost six out of ten students in Northern Ireland are women.

Medical subjects, economics and management, and social sciences were the most popular courses taken by Northern Irish students.

Separate figures recently released by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) also showed that the proportion of students dropping out of college in Northern Ireland has fallen to its lowest level on record.