National Institute for Higher Education

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A National Institute for Higher Education (NIHE) (Irish: Foras Náisiúnta um Ard-Oideachas)^[1] was a category of higher education institution established in Ireland to provide higher level technical education above the standard of the then established Regional Technical College system, at university level. Higher level technical education in Ireland was seen to be an area that was poorly served until the advent of these institutions.

The plan was to see degree level education mainly. The first institution was set up in Limerick, where there had been long-standing demand for a university, in fact a "University of Limerick" was proposed inter alia in the late 1960s by the Lichfield Report. The institution at Dublin was to be the unified campus of what later became Dublin Institute of Technology, but instead a new institution was developed similar to Limerick.

In the 1970s it was expected that the institutions would be recognised colleges of the National University of Ireland, in time this status been raised to constituent college status. Initially this did occur for a short time (1976–1977), however the institutions had all degrees conferred by the National Council for Educational Awards after 1977, this continued until university status was achieved.