Cross border students: small step or leap of faith? The perceptions and experiences of third-level cross-border students from Northern Ireland studying in a border Institute of Technology in Ireland

The reasons for this reluctance have not been researched in detail. This thesis adopts a phenomenological approach to explore the experiences of a number of cross-border third-level students from Northern Ireland, to ascertain whether their perceptions and lived experiences of crossing the border explain the low levels of student mobility from Northern Ireland to the Republic of Ireland.

Juxtaposing the theory of mobilities with that of borders, the thesis considers whether the border in Ireland operates as a bridge or a barrier to educational mobility. <br><br>The findings from the interviews and focus groups suggest that student mobility from Northern Ireland to third-level border colleges in the Republic of Ireland constitutes a distinct geography of mobility which does not depend on privilege. Instead, this geography of mobility is determined by students’ perceptions of identity and integration.