TRINITY COLLEGE Dublin plans to double the number of non-EU students attending the university as part of a strategy to build up its reputation abroad. The move is part of a new three-year global relations strategy which is aimed at positioning the university as an international centre for research, teaching and innovation.
A key plank of the plan will be to build on the university’s profile in North America and Asia by engaging with top secondary schools in both regions.
Trinity says it plans to increase the number of non-EU students attending courses at the college from 1,000 to 2,000 by 2015. With successive budget cuts to third-level funding, fees from non-EU students have become an increasingly valuable source of revenue for Irish universities.
Trinity students will also be encouraged to spend part of their academic programme abroad to gain international experience and to embed the concept of “internationalisation” in the college. It will seek to build on existing alumni networks, source more philanthropic income and forge more strategic alliances with other institutions.
The college, which already has 300 exchange and mobility options for students and staff seeking to go abroad, plans to invest €3 million in the strategy and appoint more than 30 personnel to oversee its implementation.
Prof Jane Ohlmeyer, Trinity’s vice-provost for global relations, says there are “unprecedented opportunities for countries like Ireland to become an educational hub”.
