Irish universities raise concerns over rising visa refusals for Gaza students

Irish universities have raised concerns about the rising number of visa refusals for students from Gaza.

In an opinion piece published in the Irish Times on 24/08/2026, Emma Stokes, outgoing vice-president of global engagement at Trinity College Dublin and president-designate of the National College of Ireland, said: "We can -and should- do better" to enable students from Gaza to study in Irish universities, particularly in light of recent visa refusals.

She explained that Trinity prepared to welcome nine students from Gaza for the 2026-2027 academic year, secured full scholarships so they met the financial requirements for student visas and followed Ireland’s obligations under the Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education in the European Region to put in place procedures to assess whether a displaced person meets the requirements for access to higher education.

Despite this, visa refusals increased sharply: 52 of 61 known visa applications from Gaza-based students were refused. Among Trinity’s nine students, only three received visas, four were refused and two are still waiting for a decision.

On the same day, Paul Johnston, Director General of the Irish Universities Association, stated that the organisation had promptly alerted the government after noting, this summer, "the higher than previously observed levels of rejections of visas for students from Gaza".

In Stokes' view, there are two solutions: In the short-term, she called for the processing of scholarship and visa applications from Gaza students. She added that, "at the very least", the Ministry of Justice should review the rejections for 2026-2027.

In the longer-term, she said: "What is needed is a funded partnership model between the Government (Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Department of Further and Higher Education) and the institutions backed by fee waivers and donor support. We could have an international student scholarship scheme with a focus on students from conflict zones such as, but not exclusively, Gaza."