Number of mature students reaches record high

Mature students represent 15 per cent of those attending Ireland’s universities and institutes of technology, up from 4.5 per cent of new entrants in 1998, according to figures released by the Higher Education Authority in December.

The Authority defined mature students as aged 23 and over. Participation by mature students had increased because of the rise in unemployment and in the number of people using education as a way to enter less vulnerable employment opportunities, the Authority said.