Sir, – University students in Ireland struggle to find accommodation; what they find is expensive, and they may face long commutes to campus. There are other options if they look elsewhere in Europe.
For example, in the science faculty at the small university where I work in Bodø in Norway, all teaching is in English at BSc, MSc, and PhD levels. Specialisations range from ecology to genetics to aquaculture. The teaching staff include researchers drawn from all over the world.
Students come from countries from all over Europe and beyond. The local environment has beautiful mountains, fjords and northern lights, eagles and moose, and one does not have to worry about personal security compared to living in big cities.
There are no student tuition fees for students from EU and EEA countries (only a €70 registration fee per semester). There is ample modern student accommodation provided by the university for about €500 a month (non-Norwegian students get priority for space), and it is not difficult to get off-campus accommodation. Small class sizes (MSc less than 15 per class, BSc typically less than 60) help socialisation and engagement with professors. At present, there are no limits on the number of students accepted as long as they have the necessary science course prerequisites.
Many aquaculture students get jobs before they graduate, and nine out of 10 students have jobs within six months of graduating. Students need to apply for BSc and MSc degrees between February and April (https://www.nord.no/en/study-programmes/admission).
Nord University also has many student exchange agreements with universities around the world so Irish students could spend a semester in another university as well.
There are probably other places in Europe with similar opportunities. – Yours, etc,
Prof MARK COSTELLO,
Faculty of Biosciences and Aquaculture,
Nord Universitet,
Bodø,
Norway.