Ireland's worldwide reputation for high quality education is
built on the solid foundation of commitment to excellence. Ireland is a
beautiful island, combining contemporary modern cities with an unspoilt
countryside, cityscapes steeped in history and a rich natural habitat. Renowned
for friendliness, our safe, English speaking country offers the warmest of
welcomes to students from all over the world. Join the growing number of
international students choosing Ireland to fulfil their potential.
Ireland's Strengths -
- A Friendly, Safe
Environment
- English Speaking
Country
- Extensive Choice of
Courses
- Internationally
Recognised Qualifications
- Long Tradition in
Education Excellence
- Innovative and Creative
Culture
- Leading Global
Companies in Ireland
- Best for
Entrepreneurs and Business
- Ireland and
Technology
Student Visa & Admission Requirements
Like
most other countries, Ireland requires candidates from many non-EU
countries to have a visa to come and study in Ireland. If you are a citizen of
any of the non-EU
countries on
this list, then you do not need a visa to study in Ireland. However, if you are
a citizen of a country not named on this list, you must apply for a visa before
you travel to Ireland. The student immigration process is divided into
two categories, based on whether you are applying for a degree programme
offered by a higher education institution or you intend to pursue an
English-language or non-degree course.
General requirements
·
Undergraduate studies (first cycle)
If you have successfully
completed upper secondary studies in one of the signatory countries of the Lisbon Convention,
are in possession of a valid school leaving certificate and qualify for higher
education studies in your home country, you may also qualify for higher
education studies in Ireland. However, you are requested to prove your level of
English and have studied another language. In some cases, you must also satisfy
course specific requirements. For example, if you are applying for mathematical
studies, you must have studied mathematics.
·
Master's studies (second cycle)
If you are applying for a
master's program at university in Ireland, you are required to be in possession
of a relevant bachelor's or equivalent degree diploma.
·
Doctoral studies (third cycle)
In the event you are
applying for doctoral studies at university in Ireland, you are required to be
in possession of a relevant diploma or master's degree program.
Language requirements for
studies at universities in Ireland
·
Irish
If you are not an Irish
student, you are not required to speak Irish in order to apply for university
studies in Ireland.
·
English
If English is not your
first language, you are required to prove your level of command of the English
language through the results you received from your studies at upper secondary
school or through the results you received at the TOEFL or IELTS tests. The
minimum accepted score for the TOEFL test is usually 570 (paper-based) or 90
(Internet-based), and 6.5 for the IELTS test.
We recommend you check with
your institution if your studies of English from upper secondary school are
sufficient to meet the English language requirement or you need to take the
TOEFL or IELTS tests.
Minimum grade point
requirement to access undergraduate studies (first cycle) in Ireland
Admission to the majority
of undergraduate studies (first cycle) in Ireland is subject to the fulfillment
of a minimum grade point requirement. This is the grade point you receive after
passing your upper secondary school studies in combination with the grades you
receive at the university entrance examinations in your home country.
Therefore, always check with your Irish university about the minimum grade
point you need to obtain, also referred to as "Cut-off
point".
You may use the European grades comparison chart to learn how you would score in Europe.
Requirements to access
Medicine studies in Ireland
Undergraduate level (first cycle)
In addition to meeting the
general entrance requirements, you must also take the Health Professions
Admissions Test (HPAT).
Graduate level (second and third cycle)
Applicants must have a
minimum grade of 2.1 (Honours Second Class) in their Bacherlor's Degree.
[Learn more about the Irish grading system]
[Compare the Irish grading system with other European grading systems]
[Learn more about the Irish grading system]
[Compare the Irish grading system with other European grading systems]
In adddition, all
applicants must take the Graduate Medical Schools Admissions Test.
Information
You apply for almost all
full-time undergraduate courses through the Central Applications Office (CAO).
The undergraduate courses in the universities and institutes of technology
include Higher Certificates - Level 6, Ordinary Bachelor degrees - Level 7 and
Honours Bachelor degrees - Level 8. You can find more information about these
qualifications in our document on third-level
education in Ireland. There
is no central applications body for Post-Leaving
Certificate (PLC) courses. Students must apply directly to the
individual colleges.
The CAO provides a handbook that lists all the courses on offer and
gives information on how to apply. The closing date for 2015 applications from
Irish and other European Union nationals is 5.15 pm on 1 February 2015. Late
applications are allowed up to 5.15 pm on 1 May 2015.
Decisions on offers of places
are normally made in August and September, after the results of the Leaving
Certificate have come out. A detailed schedule
of the offer rounds is in
the CAO handbook.
Changing your mind
It is possible to check and
amend your online application free of charge up to 5.15 p.m. on 31 January.
From 5 February to 5.15 p.m. on 1 March, you can amend your course choices for
a fee of €10.
There is a further chance to
change your mind, free of charge, from 5 May to 5.15 p.m. on 1 July.
