While the number of Irish students taking up the opportunity to apply for degree programmes overseas has flattened somewhat since the Covid-19 pandemic, there are still approximately 4,000 of them studying on the Continent. There are just over 2,000 in the Netherlands alone, which is up from under 250 in 2013.
The second most popular destination is Poland, where there are several hundred Irish students, while Italy and Denmark also feature high numbers. As EU citizens, Irish students are entitled to study at any university within the European Union under the same conditions as nationals, and there are more than 2,200 degree courses taught through English around Europe.
Here are 10 universities that offer them.
1. Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences
With 4,800 professionals and 44,000 students, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences combines knowledge and skills to prepare students for jobs that suit them. Its philosophy is that higher professional education is all about combining theory and practice.
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“You not only learn the material, but also apply it immediately in realistic situations,” it says. “If you like hands-on learning, you are in the right place.”
Its programmes are designed with the labour market in mind, and it stays in contact with businesses and institutions so students learn the skills that are in demand. Some 91 per cent of its alumni find jobs within three months. Students also research current issues in and around Amsterdam to help them translate theoretical knowledge into practical solutions. This is designed to enrich the student’s education, and also to benefit the city and its people.
2. Cracow University of Technology
With more than 1,100 teachers, Cracow University of Technology in Poland has been training engineering staff for more than 70 years. It has a 13,000-strong student fraternity that forms part of a group of more than 190,000 students in Cracow – a city of culture, science and students. It offers 32 undergraduate and 25 postgraduate programmes, which are conducted at eight faculties of the university.
It also has more than 80 scientific student associations. Graduates are employed in state-owned companies, private, domestic and foreign companies, in central and local government, and in design offices, as well as in universities and research institutes. Students can choose from 18 sports sections, three extreme sports sections and 10 recreational sections. Students also have the opportunity to participate in exchange programmes abroad.
3. European University Viadrina
Since its re-establishment in 1991, the European University Viadrina in Frankfurt has had an international focus, with people from more than 100 countries on campus. It sees itself as a reform university, promoting German-Polish understanding and working towards pan-European integration. It has three faculties: law, business administration and economics, and social and cultural sciences.
It offers 30 courses, and an international perspective on culture, law and business shapes the content of many of its seminars and degree programmes. Its courses involve small seminars, direct contact with lecturers, personal counselling, internships and career services. It has 3,933 students, of whom 2,321 are German and 1,612 are international. It had a budget of €59.9 million last year, of which €9.1 million was made up by third-party funding.
4. Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus
Students from Germany and all over the world contribute to a varied campus life at Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus. As a university of technology, it develops practical, application-oriented solutions for major global issues with scientific competence. It is a university with three campus locations: Cottbus main campus, Cottbus-Sachsendorf campus and Campus Senftenberg.
Of the 7,000 students there, about 43 per cent come from abroad, from more than 126 countries. Women make up 43 per cent of the total number. It employs 185 professors, 680 teaching and research fellows, and 760 non-academic staff. It received a budget of around €104 million from the German state last year, as well as €68.8 million in third-party funding.
5. Czech University of Life Sciences
Located on the outskirts of Prague, about 20 minutes from the city centre, the Czech University of Life Sciences will celebrate its 120th anniversary next year. It has about 20,000 students, of which about 30 per cent are international. It has six faculties and one institute, and offers more than 170 accredited programmes at BSc, MSc and PhD levels.
The university says its programmes are designed to prepare professionals to address the “greatest challenges of our time”, including food safety, climate change, the fourth industrial revolution in agriculture and forestry, renewable energy, and biodiversity protection. Its campus is full of greenery and open areas, providing opportunities for sports and cultural events along with modern buildings featuring state-of-the-art laboratories and classrooms.
6. Hanze University of Applied Sciences
Located in Groningen, Hanze is the largest university of applied sciences in the northern Netherlands. It was also the first university of applied sciences to found an international business school in the country. Moreover, it is the only large higher education institution in the Netherlands with both an art academy and a conservatory of music. It also has its own start-up hub, which means students have the opportunity to learn how to start their own business during their studies.
Being a university of applied sciences, it offers profession-oriented study programmes so students apply the knowledge gained from lectures in assignments and projects. “You will learn by doing, always accompanied by the right amount of theoretical background,” it says. All students do a work placement, as well as a graduation internship during their studies. As a result, they have actual work experience on their CV upon graduation.
7. Institute of Arts
Located in Barcelona, this performing arts training and higher education institution offers BA (Hons), foundation and master’s programmes in acting, dance and musical theatre. Its main campus consists of a main building and adjacent studios, thereby forming an artistic and performing-arts environment where all the main facilities are located. Its large glass-fronted studios are flooded with natural light and students are encouraged to watch their peers in class.
It has more than 15 different studios dedicated to its programmes including singing spaces, dance studios and aerial arts training facilities. They are in use 12 hours a day with weekend access too. Its main 200-seat theatre houses more than 35 productions each year.
8. John Cabot University
Founded in 1972, John Cabot University in Rome is an independent, four-year liberal-arts university offering undergraduate degrees, graduate degrees, and study-abroad programmes to English-speaking students from all over the world. It attracts students interested in the arts, sciences, business and humanities, and has an average class size of 15. The university offers a variety of conveniently located living arrangements, including apartments.
All students are assigned an academic adviser, who is a faculty member teaching within their major or a related discipline. Students confer with their advisers on a regular basis to plan their course schedules and discuss their academic and career plans.It also holds a “writing centre”, which offers free, one-hour consultations to all students on brainstorming, choosing a topic, developing research questions, formulating a thesis, building an argument, and drafting.
9. University College Copenhagen
With more than 20,000 students and about 2000 staff members, University College Copenhagen is one of Denmark’s main providers of teacher education, early childhood and social education, and education in nursing and social work. It also provides courses in physiotherapy, psychomotor therapy, textile design, midwifery, occupational therapy, nutrition and health, biomedical laboratory science, chemical and biotechnical science and technology, radiography, public administration and emergency and risk management.
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Bachelor’s programmes, postgraduate diploma studies and professional development courses are currently provided in different campus locations in Copenhagen and the greater Copenhagen area, as well as in smaller locations at the island of Bornholm and in Aarhus.
The university says it prides itself on a “democratic learning environment” where lecturers and students view each other as equals, there is a focus on group work, and students are encouraged to take individual responsibility for their own education.
10. University of Gothenburg
One of Sweden’s largest educational institutions, the University of Gothenburg has extensive offerings in both education and research. The university was founded in 1891 and has more than 58,000 students and 6,800 employees. The university’s core activities of research and education are organised and run by its seven faculties, which comprise 38 departments, and by the university’s approximately 20 centres of expertise and research.
Its campuses are located all over the city, and the location offers students access to nature-based activities such as forest walks, kayaking and cliff-jumping. Gothenburg is the largest non-capital in Scandinavia, and the region is home to more than a million people, as well as leading global companies such as Volvo, Ericsson, and AstraZeneca.
