Institute of Study Abroad Ireland

What Institute of Study Abroad Ireland does

Institute of Study Abroad Ireland (ISAI, DBA ISA Ireland) is an Irish-domiciled educational travel and online learning company headquartered at the Atlantic Apartotel on Main Street in Bundoran, County Donegal. Operating for over 25 years, the company designs and delivers customized, faculty-led study abroad programs to Ireland for US-based educational institutions — primarily community colleges, four-year colleges and universities, early college programs, and faculty/administrator cohorts. Core on-site programs run 9-16 days and include classroom instruction, field trips, cultural activities, accommodation, meals, and transportation, with curriculum co-designed with faculty to align with required learning outcomes across disciplines including history, culture, literature, business, nursing, photography, peace studies, and environmental science.

The technology layer is a WordPress-based website (isaireland.com) paired with a separate online learning platform at interculturalireland.com that hosts proprietary content including the Intercultural Ireland Content Library (video lectures, lesson plans, quizzes, ADA-compliant teaching resources), the 30-hour Global Perspectives through the Narratives of Ireland course, the 10-module Imperfect Parallels Civil Rights course, and a Level 7, 10-credit Certificate in Innovation and Global Enterprise awarded through Letterkenny Institute of Technology. Virtual Global Studies extends the offering to institutions that cannot travel. The underlying platform is content delivery rather than AI-native, with no proprietary ML or model dependencies documented.

ISAI's business model combines professional services revenue (full study abroad program fees and professional development seminars priced at $1,200-$1,800 per attendee) with per-student online course licensing at $95/student (with discounts for CCID and partner institutions) and a donation-based freemium tier for short courses. Go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales to educational institutions, supplemented by presence at NAFSA and CCID conferences, consortia partnerships (e.g., WCCCSA), co-development relationships with academic partners (Drew University, Morehouse College, LYIT, Atlantic Technological University), and cultural event marketing (e.g., Milwaukee Irish Fest). The company is bootstrapped, founder-led by Dr. Niamh Hamill alongside co-director John, with no disclosed venture capital, private equity, or parent company ownership.

Name

Institute of Study Abroad Ireland

Legal name

Institute of Study Abroad Ireland

Website

https://isaireland.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Travel Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Faculty-Led & Custom Group Study Abroad Programs (EDAIAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Research & Lab-Based Short-Term Programs (Undergraduate/Graduate) (EDAIAIAF), Short-Term & Summer/Winter Multi-Country Study Abroad Programs (EDAIAAAF), Study Abroad Program Management & Administration (for Institutions) (EDAIAAAJ)

Keywords

• Study abroad programs
• Faculty-led travel
• International education services
• Cultural competency courses
• Educational travel Ireland

Headquarters

HQ city

Bundoran

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Study Abroad Program Fees: Fees for customized faculty-led study abroad programs to Ireland, typically 9-16 days in duration. Programs include classroom work, field trips, cultural activities, meals, accommodation, and transport coordination. Price varies by program customization.
2. Professional Development Programs: Professional development seminars and site visits for faculty and administrators. Earlybird pricing at $1,200 per person (double occupancy), regular $1,800. Five-day programs in Ireland combining leadership development with immersive site visits.
3. Online Course Licensing: Per-student fees for online cultural competency courses. Global Perspectives course at $95 per student with discounts available for partner colleges and CCID institutions. Institutional purchase plans offered.
4. Content Library Access: Short courses and teaching resources available through a content library. Working on donation basis for short courses to maximize accessibility.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

ISAI designs and delivers customized, faculty-led short-term study abroad programs (9-16 days) to Ireland for US community colleges, colleges, and universities, with full logistics including classes, field trips, accommodation, meals, and transport. The company also offers an online Intercultural Ireland content library with cultural competency courses, professional development seminars for educators, and academic certificate programs developed in partnership with Irish higher education institutions.

Product overview

The Institute of Study Abroad Ireland offers a portfolio of educational travel and online learning products centered on Ireland. The core offerings include Study Abroad Programs (faculty-led short programs of 9-16 days in County Donegal with full logistics support), Virtual Global Studies (online courses including Global Perspectives through the Narratives of Ireland and Imperfect Parallels on Civil Rights), and Professional Development Programs for faculty and administrators. Supporting products include Early College Programs with college credit and the Atlantic Campus facility in Bundoran for in-person accommodations. The Certificate in Innovation and Global Enterprise is offered in partnership with Letterkenny Institute of Technology. All offerings are designed for educational institutions seeking to internationalize their curriculum through Irish culture, history, and academic content.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Intercultural Ireland Content Library: Online content library platform for internationalizing classrooms through Irish culture and history studies

Products and services

• Study Abroad Programs

Quantifiable outcome

• Every student describes the experience as 'life-changing' with entirely positive outcomes
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core, emerging and minor.

• Drew UniversityflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Long-term partnership since 2013 for annual Peace Studies trips. Drew University hosts Global Scholars reunion annually. ISAI hosts Drew University's Transatlantic Connections Irish Studies Conference each January in Bundoran. Co-developed Civil Rights and Peace Studies program with Drew University Center for Religion, Culture and Conflict.
• Morehouse CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Morehouse College Andrew Young Center for Leadership Studies and the Consulate of Ireland in Atlanta for the Imperfect Parallels Civil Rights program. Dr. Kipton Jensen serves as director of Leadership Studies Program at Andrew Young Center. Morehouse College awards certificates of completion.
• Letterkenny Institute of Technology (LYIT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Certificate in Innovation and Global Enterprise (Level 7, 10 credit Special Purpose Award). Academic credential awarded by LYIT's School of Business.
• Institute of Technology, SligoemergingStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloping certificate programs in Environmental Science and Archaeology in partnership with IT Sligo.
• Atlantic Technological UniversityemergingStrategic or Co-development PartnerVisit included in Fall Professional Development program for leadership seminars and cultural contextualization.
• Community Colleges for International Development (CCID)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerCCID institution partnerships for online programs with discounted pricing available. Lone Star College enrolled 200 students through CCID partnership for online content.
• Consulate of Ireland in Austin, TexascoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Irish Consulate in Austin to support internationalization efforts; facilitated Lone Star College's 200-student enrollment in online programs.
• Donegal Adventure CentreminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProvides surfing and adventure activities for surf and music programs and summer camps.
• Sea Sessions FestivalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerVIP hospitality partnership for surf and music program participants attending the annual festival in Bundoran.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• AIFS (American Institute for Foreign Study): Large, established educational and cultural exchange organization running faculty-led, semester, and customized study abroad programs worldwide including Ireland; broader portfolio and longer history than ISAI but overlapping service offering.
• WorldStrides: Large educational travel provider offering faculty-led student trips, study abroad, and curriculum-based travel across global destinations including Ireland; comparable at the faculty-led, K-12/college student travel product level, but operates at significantly greater scale and breadth.
• CIEE (Council on International Educational Exchange): One of the largest US non-profit study abroad providers, operating faculty-led and direct-enrollment programs across dozens of countries including Ireland; directly comparable to ISAI's faculty-led, multi-discipline model but at much larger scale and broader geographic coverage.
• IES Abroad: Established non-profit study abroad organization offering semester, short-term, and faculty-led programs worldwide including Ireland; comparable business model around institutional partnerships, custom programming, and credit-bearing study abroad, but with broader country portfolio.

Direct peers

• API (Academic Programs International): Provider of customized, faculty-led, and direct-enrollment study abroad programs for US colleges and universities; comparable in targeting US institutions, offering tailored academic programming, and competing for the same community college / university RFPs.
• CIS Abroad: Study abroad provider offering semester, short-term, and faculty-led programs for US college students; comparable to ISAI in target buyer (US study abroad offices), program format, and academic customization approach.
• USAC (University Studies Abroad Consortium): University-affiliated study abroad provider offering short-term, semester, and faculty-led programs across many destinations; directly comparable in the faculty-led, multi-discipline, US-institution-targeted segment where ISAI operates.
• ISA (International Studies Abroad): For-profit study abroad provider offering semester and short-term programs in multiple countries with strong US university partnerships; closely mirrors ISAI's model of working with faculty to design customized programs and serving community college and university clients.
• SAI Programs: Provider of study abroad programs in Europe and beyond, with emphasis on US university partnerships and customizable faculty-led experiences; comparable in scale and institutional sales motion to ISAI.
• CEA Study Abroad: Study abroad organization offering customized faculty-led and direct-enrollment programs with strong US higher-ed partnerships; comparable model targeting community colleges and universities with credit-bearing programs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/irelandstudyabroad
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC5jG9S9XaW1qVzFv7bK1y2g
• Facebookfacebook.com/isaireland
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/institute-of-study-abroad-ireland
• Instagraminstagram.com/irelandstudyabroad
• TikToktiktok.com/@irelandstudyabroad

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Institute of Study Abroad Ireland