Equivalent Qualifications

Remarkable progress has been made in recent years in the area of international recognition of qualifications. It is now possible for people from all over the globe to identify the equivalent of their award in any other country.

It is highly advisable that an international student should find out the Irish equivalent of any qualification he/she was awarded already before applying for a course in Ireland. This way you can assure yourself that you meet the minimum academic entry requirements for a course.
 
The National Qualifications Authority of Ireland (NQAI) provides a service whereby the equivalent level from the National Framework of Qualifications of an international award may be made known to the applicant.

The NQAI is in the process of compiling a database of the second and third level educational awards in other countries. Prospective students, from the countries listed here, can work out their current educational level in an Irish context at this web location.

It is also important to know what the Irish qualification you are applying for is worth in your home country, particularly if you plan to return home and work on completing your course in Ireland. Contact the relevant qualifications authority in your own country in order to do this. Visit www.enic-naric.net for an extensive directory of national qualification bodies from around the world.

The following guidelines are for those students with an award NOT from a country listed in the NQAI’s database.

Second Level qualification holders
The Central Applications Office (CAO) is the body responsible for processing school-leavers’ applications to undergraduate courses in Ireland.

International students applying to any of Ireland’s Institutes of Technology (EXCEPT DIT - Dublin Institute of Technology) can avail of a scoring system on the CAO’s website that compares the various international second level qualifications with Ireland’s Leaving Certificate. This information can be found here.

International students, applying for a course not provided by the Institutes of Technology, need to contact the college in question directly. The admissions office will inform the student as to the value they attach to the student’s second level award.

Third Level qualification holders
International students, who are seeking the value that is attached to their third level qualifications in Ireland, need to send the following information to the NQAI:

 Completed application form (application form can be downloaded here)
 Certified photocopy of the qualification in its original language
 An official English translation of the qualification
 Certified photocopy of transcript/mark sheets/list of subjects passed in original language
 An official translation of transcript/mark sheets/list of subjects passed

NQAI contact details:
Qualifications Recognition - Ireland,
The National Qualifications Authority of Ireland,
5th Floor Jervis House,
Jervis Street,
Dublin 1,
Ireland

This service is free of charge and applications take 8 to 12 weeks to process.

Holders of UK awards can find the Irish equivalent of their qualification by clicking here.

NB Exam Scores – It is important to remember that although you may have a qualification that meets the minimum entry requirements of an Irish college, entrance to courses is competitive so it is often necessary for you to have achieved a good score in your exams for your application to be successful.

For example, enrolling in a degree course in Medicine in Ireland will require a very high score in your public (school) examinations and successful completion by EU applicants of the HPAT-Ireland (Health Professions Admission Test-Ireland). Non-EU applicants must fulfil other additional criteria.

A Master’s degree programme usually requires a good second class honours degree. Some postgraduate courses will require supplementary work in the form of interviews, research proposals, portfolios of previous work, etc. It is highly recommended that you contact the college to inquire about these various aspects of your chosen course.