Almost 70 percent of local third level students were enrolled in either University of Galway or Atlantic Technological University last year.
The majority of those students were studying at undergraduate level, with a large proportion studying full time.
The data accounts for the 256,000 students enrolled across the country during the 2022/23 academic year.
Of the 14,000 third level students from Galway, 40 percent were enrolled at University of Galway, with a further 26 percent at ATU.
International students make up 13.7% of Ireland's student population, with the US being the most common country of origin.
The number of mature new entrants has continued to drop, with a decrease of almost 600 compared to the previous year.
Meanwhile the gender gap is continuing to widen, with females accounting for 54.5% of the overall student population.
The report also outlined that the most popular subject group studied is Business, Administration and Law, followed by Health & Welfare
