A European Union wide survey of the experiences of international students in finding accommodation has found that Ireland has the worst record when it comes to high rents and students experiencing fraud in their search for somewhere to live.
The survey was carried out by the Erasmus Student Network, which surveyed 8,000 students across 600 European colleges.
Erasmus is an EU-funded programme which enables students to spend time studying in foreign universities and institutes.
Out of 30 countries, Ireland came highest when it came to rents being higher than student expectations.
77% of foreign students in Ireland said they found accommodation costs higher than expected, compared to an average of 43% across all countries.
29% of foreign students in Ireland said they had experienced fraud or attempted fraud when seeking accommodation.
This was again higher than fraud levels reported by students in any other country involved in the survey.
The survey was funded by the European Commission.
The Irish Council for International Students has expressed concern.
Its Director, Sheila Power, has said the results are "hardly compatible with our international education strategy to increase international student numbers by 27% over the next couple of years".
Ms Power said a collaborative effort was needed involving Government, city planners, and higher education institutions to address the issues which the research identified.
