Academic Entry Requirements

Undergraduate
As with most countries, there are two ways in which to qualify for higher education in Ireland: through the Irish school system; or by completing school examinations in your own country.

The former involves undertaking the Irish Leaving Cert and English language tuition (if non-fluent of course). The CAO is a points-based system - students are awarded points according to their six best subject results.  It is important to note that the points required for a given course can go up or down from year to year.

The latter is by far the more common route. It is essential that students ensure they meet the academic entry requirements when applying for an undergraduate course in Ireland. Entry to undergraduate courses in Ireland is very competitive, and international students will need to have good results in their exams in order to acquire a place; particularly for the most exclusive programmes such as medicine - where three A-Level passes (grades A/B) in relevant subjects are required. The minimum requirement for most degree level programmes is 3 grade Cs at A level or equivalent. If there is any doubt about the acceptability of your qualifications, clarification should be sought in good time from the course provider in question.

It is also worth noting that many courses require applicants to have qualified in certain subjects during their school examinations. For example, engineering candidates usually need to have completed Maths and a science subject for their application to be considered.

In general, students ought to aim for higher than the minimum entry requirements in order to ensure they have a good chance of securing a place in their course of choice.

Postgraduate
Applicants for a postgraduate course in Ireland are generally required to have at least a 2.2 honours undergraduate degree in a relevant subject, while some courses may require a 2.1 or higher result. For some courses relevant work experience is a useful attribute, while for other courses (e.g. the MBA) it is a strict requirement.

PhD and other research programmes usually require a certain level of research experience for entry.

Click here in order to find out the value attached to your current qualifications in Ireland.