Predicting International Higher Education Students’ Satisfaction with their Study in Ireland

The internationalisation of higher education — a facet of broader processes of globalisation — has resulted in increased study-related travel, and the development of policies to attract international students. Nevertheless, in the context of a strong drive to recruit international students, little is known about how they are faring during their study abroad. This paper addresses the gap in research, analysing the experiences of international students studying in Irish Higher Education Institutions, drawing on nationally representative data from the Eurostudent IV study. The findings show that students’ satisfaction with study while abroad is shaped by a number of different factors including, first and foremost, students’ satisfaction with their education institution and subjective rating of their health.