An independent investigation published on 23 September 2026 offers new clarity on how students and graduates move across the island of Ireland.
The study, titled Student mobility into and out of Northern Ireland: What brain drain?, is hosted by the Economic and Social Research Institute.
It finds that learners from Northern Ireland are just as likely to depart for university abroad as their British counterparts remain at home.
Lower tuition costs in the region compared with England and Wales may help keep local students within the area.
However, the report identifies a significant hurdle in drawing pupils from other countries to study here.
This difficulty is described by officials as a potential brain gain challenge rather than a simple drain issue.
The Northern Ireland Executive commissioned the work to better understand these demographic shifts.
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