Colleges lose €8m due to rise in student visa refusals

Irish universities have lost more than €8 million this academic year from the increase in international student visa refusals.

According to figures obtained by RTÉ's This Week, several universities said they anticipate losing millions of euros in expected revenue from international student fees.

The Technological University Association (TUA) estimates that the financial impact of international student visa refusals across the technological university sector will exceed €5m for 2027.

In a statement the TUA said: "In an already constrained funding environment, this presents an additional challenge for institutions as they seek to maintain financial sustainability and continue to deliver high-quality education and student services."

International students pay higher fees than domestic or European students.

Last month, at an Oireachtas Committee hearing, Sean O'Driscoll of University College Cork said the university expected to lose €3.7m in revenue as a result of the increase in rejections for student visa refusals.

Paul Johnston, Director General of the Irish Universities Association, which represents the traditional universities said that its members had raised "serious concerns" about the "significant increase in international student visa refusals in 2026, particularly affecting applications from certain countries."

He added: "Universities are already reporting lost international student enrolments as a result of visa refusals, with a corresponding impact on tuition fee income.

"While the full financial impact for 2026-27 is not yet fully quantified across all universities, there is significant concern about the scale of potential revenue losses, particularly given the existing financial pressures facing the sector.

"The IUA has raised these concerns directly with Government, including the Departments of Further and Higher Education and Justice, Home Affairs and Migration."

Munster Technological University said that just under 50 students that had been accepted for a place in its university in the academic year beginning this Autumn had to defer or withdraw because their visa application was rejected. MTU estimates the loss of revenue at €1.39m for this year.

Atlantic Technological University (ATU) said 90 applicants who had accepted offers to study with them were unable to take up their places due to visa refusals. The lost tuition fees associated with those refusals is approximately €1.2m.

TU Dublin said approximately 144 international students who had been offered a place this academic year at the university could not take up their offer due to visa refusals. The estimated impact on student fee income is around €2.1m.

Maynooth University said it had been notified of 94 visa refusals from students who had been accepted onto a course this autumn but did not provide an estimate for the financial loss as a result.

Trinity College Dublin said that it had noted an increase in the number of international visa applications being denied this year.

The trend was also noted by UCC, Dublin City University and the Technological University of the Shannon (TUS).

Speaking to RTÉ's This Week programme last month, the president of TUS, Vincent Cunnane said that there had been a large amount of visa refusals this academic year and it would result in some of the university's master programmes being cut.

University of Limerick said in a statement that the "international recruitment environment has become more challenging due to geopolitical factors."

It added that UL had anticipated this and had revised its 2026/27 budget projections accordingly.

Mr Johnston said the issue of viewer student visas being approved goes "well beyond university finances".

"International students are vital to Ireland's skills pipeline, research capacity and economic competitiveness," he said.

"We cannot afford a visa system that creates unnecessary barriers or damages Ireland’s reputation as a welcoming destination for international talent."

In a statement to This Week, the Department of Justice said there has been no change of policy in relation to the criteria or method of student visa processing.

"Visa processing is demand led, the Department has no control of the number or quality of applications received and can only process what the market presents," the statement said.

"The Department has seen a reduction in study visa applications in the last two years."

It added that applicants can appeal a visa refusal.

The Department of Further and Higher Education was also contacted for comment.