New figures show student numbers in the higher education sector were at record numbers in 2017.

They increased from 196,000 in 2011/12 to almost 232,000 - an increase of 18%.

There were over 70,500 graduates of institutions, of which 49,000 were undergraduates and over 21,500 were postgraduates.

This was an increase of 8.5% from 2013/2014.

How people access education and training also continued to develop.

Some 17% of students - over 40,100 people - were studying part-time.

While almost 8,000 students accessed higher education remotely, an increase of almost 2,000 students on two years ago.

Minister of State Mary Mitchell O'Connor | File photo

Minister of State for Higher Education, Mary Mitchell O'Connor, has welcomed the statistics.

"The efforts of the Institutions in responding to demand and facilitating the increased number of students cannot be underestimated.

"I also welcome the fact that our higher education institutions are strongly engaged in the delivery of a wider range of apprenticeships.

"I would like to encourage young people considering their options over the coming weeks to fully explore all that is on offer, including apprenticeship opportunities."

She also highlighted that higher education is no longer a stepwise progression from school, and that the message that education is a lifelong pathway is 'gaining momentum.'

In the last year, 39,682 people aged 25 or over have returned to education as an undergraduate, either for the first time or to re-skill in a new area.