The University of Limerick welcomes the largest cohort of International Students in its history with 2,500 students representing over 100 countries attending the University.
Officially welcoming the students to UL, Professor Don Barry, President said: “UL is proud of its long tradition in welcoming visiting students to Limerick. We have one of the largest Erasmus exchange programmes in Ireland; we have been welcoming study abroad students for the past 20 years and have made many academic links and partnerships with universities right across the globe.”
Among the international students visiting UL this year are those taking part in Study Abroad programmes, Erasmus and International Exchange programmes and full-time degree students.
UL also welcomes 150 Brazilian students taking part in the Science without Borders programme. Josephine Page added: “I think the reason we excel in this area is because so many of our students are encouraged to partake in international study themselves and so we welcome international students as we’d like our students to be welcomed abroad. 30 % of UL undergraduate students spend a semester abroad, this is through Erasmus, non-EU exchange or Cooperative Education.”
UL has links with over 400 universities in 38 countries and welcomes over 2,500 international students each year. International students currently account for 13.5% of the total student number and this continues to increase year-on-year. 1 in 3 undergraduate students at UL spend a semester overseas – last year saw almost 600 UL students travel abroad on study or work placements making it the largest and most successful Erasmus programme in Ireland. In a recent International Student Barometer™ survey, UL was voted as the number one university in providing the Best Student Experience, Best Student Support and Warmest Welcome in Ireland. Across the four surveyed categories of ‘Living’, ‘Support’, ‘Arrival’ and ‘Learning’, UL was voted as having the best overall Living Experience in Ireland and the 5th in the world.
UL also scored first out of 238 institutions world-wide in the categories of ‘Social Activities’, ‘Opportunities to experience Irish Culture’, ‘Social Facilities’, ‘Accommodation Office’ and ‘Clubs & Societies’. We have a number of supports in place for international students including a dedicated international student support officer, study support centres, language training, a Buddy Programme and a generous number of scholarships available.
