International student report 2021: impact of the covid-19 pandemic and the overall international student experience in Ireland

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused major disruptions to many sectors in Ireland. The higher education sector is one which has been significantly impacted by the pandemic, with schools, colleges, and universities having to swiftly adapt and shift to online learning. Within this context, international students are among those that have been most affected by the consequences of the pandemic in terms of their student experience and wellbeing. The pandemic has brought about multiple challenges for international students, but it has also highlighted and heightened issues which already existed long before the pandemic hit. In April 2020, ICOS conducted an international student survey to better understand the challenges students were facing at the outset of the pandemic (ICOS 2020). It is evident that much has changed since then; however, many of the challenges and uncertainties that students faced in 2020 have continued to persist, while new challenges have also emerged. With this in mind, ICOS sought to conduct further research in 2021, involving a quantitative and qualitative study. It aimed at better understanding the challenges and difficulties students have faced during the pandemic in 2021 as well as their overall experience as international students in Ireland.