Lecturers in some universities say they feel pressurised into putting financial concerns in advance of academic quality by awarding passes to more lucrative international students who are struggling in their courses.
Higher education institutions are heavily reliant on international students, who pay higher fees than domestic or EU applicants, due to underfunding of the third-level sector.
In some cases, however, lecturing staff say they are concerned that significant numbers of non-EU students – paying upwards of €18,000 a year – are being accepted on to postgraduate courses without the English language proficiency needed to pass.
In University College Cork, for example, some lecturing staff have expressed concern that significant numbers of international students are being “set up to fail” by being accepted on to postgraduate programmes without sufficient English.
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In one case, a lecturer who failed more than 30 students on a postgraduate course was the subject of a joint complaint from a group of Chinese students, which included an allegation of racism, according to multiple sources.
“The saddest thing is these students are suffering terribly and incidents of trauma, insomnia and depression have been reported by international students to authorities,” said a lecturer. “There is an expectation that they will pass, and that suits university management, while staff don’t feel supported.”
In a statement, UCC said admissions criteria for programmes specify English language requirements, which are approved by the university’s academic board.
“International candidates are only accepted to programmes at University College Cork if they have been awarded the required scores in international standardised tests of English language proficiency for non-native, English-language speakers,” a spokeswoman said, in a statement. “Where necessary, UCC provides supports to students who may require additional language supports.”
She added that UCC upholds “robust academic standards, and all modules and assessments are reviewed by external examiners and external accrediting bodies, where relevant”.
International students are required to provide evidence of satisfying English language requirements – such as the Duolingo English Test – but many courses in Irish higher education institutions do not require an in-person interview.
Staff across a number of higher education institutions have told The Irish Times that loopholes in language requirements or insufficient supports within their universities mean more vulnerable students risk relying on AI tools in order to pass assignments. More stringent language requirements are typically sought in health or medicine-related programmes.
“This isn’t a criticism of students,” said one lecturer. “Some of my very best students are international students, but we’re letting others down.”
There has also been concern expressed at large class sizes and high proportions of international student numbers on individual courses, raising questions over the student experience and quality of group work.
“We also have a shocking situation where, on a master’s programme, there are just over 160 students and over 140 of those are from a single country,” said one academic, who asked not to be named.
The Irish Federation of University Teachers (IFUT) said chronic underfunding of the higher education sector was evident in “soaring student-to-staff ratios” and increased reliance on international students as a funding source.
“While international students undeniably enrich the academic environment, viewing them primarily as financial assets risks diverting attention from the core mission of delivering education and research,” said Miriam Hamilton, deputy general secretary at IFUT.
“It is imperative that the university sector receives secure and sufficient public funding to safeguard its vital role and contribution to society. By moving to a sustainable funding model, universities can maintain their commitment to excellence in education and research without compromising their integrity.”
The number of non-EU international students has risen significantly in recent years, from just more than 17,000 students in 2016-2017, to more than 25,000 international students in 2022-23, an increase of almost 50 per cent.
The Government agreed in 2022 that the higher education sector required an extra €307 million a year in base funding but, in the two subsequent budgets, it has delivered about €100 million of this.
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