Irish ELT sector remains strong despite dip in adult enrolments
Some 60,402 students from 113 countries studied across 51 English Education Ireland member schools in the first half of this year, according to the organisation’s semi-annual report – with ministays for juniors making up nearly half of all enrolments.
While adult students accounted for 82% of the 274,338 student weeks recorded in the report, this group saw a moderate decline in the market, which English Education Ireland put down to added pressures in securing visas and other administrative hurdles.
The adult market enrolled 25,032 students between January and June 2025 – but 40% of schools reported a downturn in adult student intake compared to the same period last year, the report noted.
Meanwhile, ministays continued to be a success for Ireland’s ELT sector, enrolling 29,451 students. A third of participating schools reported growth in ministays between January and June compared to the same period last year.
“This mid-year data provides important early signals for the full-year outlook,” said Lorcan O’Connor Lloyd, CEO of English Education Ireland. “While Ireland’s reputation as a safe, high-quality destination remains strong, it’s clear the sector is facing renewed pressures – particularly around access and affordability for non-EU students.”
Latin America remained a leading source market – with Brazil sending the most adult students (5,654) – followed by EU countries, with Italy, France, and Spain followed sending 2,679, 2,453, and 2,317 students, respectively.
But while Latin American students, along with those from East Asian countries, were more likely to study in Ireland for longer durations, they also faced the most barriers in securing visas, according to the report.
Overall, Italy was the top source country for Irish ELT programs, sending 21,772 students in the period covered by the report. Spain came next, sending 11,562 students, followed by Brazil (5,728).
While Ireland’s reputation as a safe, high-quality destination remains strong, it’s clear the sector is facing renewed pressures
Lorcan O’Connor Lloyd, English Education Ireland
Although the report’s authors acknowledged that it does look at the peak months over the summer, when student enrolments often soar, it said that “early feedback” from schools suggests there will continue to be a dip in enrolments.
Some 35% of schools expect a moderate decline, 38% expect numbers to remain stable and just 16% expect growth – with schools pointing to visa denials, local and international competition, regulatory burdens and external disruptions such as inflation and the weather as contributing factors.
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