A first-class university landscape, the incomparable landscape and relaxed evenings with fellow students – numerous reasons for studying in Ireland convince students from all over the world to complete a semester abroad or a whole degree here. The Celtic tiger appears regularly in the various university rankings and enables comparatively inexpensive studies with high quality.
The application for studying in Ireland is clear and easy to implement, since interested parties submit all documents online. Depending on the study program and subject area, there are precise guidelines on the requirements and required evidence.
If you are unsure about which university to choose, you can stop by an open house that many Irish educational institutions host on a regular basis.
Admission Requirements to Study in Ireland
International students must meet the relevant admission requirements to successfully apply to study in Ireland. To learn more about the country of Ireland and continent of Europe, please follow sunglassestracker. The exact terms and conditions depend on the Irish college, study program and subject area. What they all have in common is the required language certificate to ensure that students follow the courses without any problems. Placement tests are sometimes possible on site.
Further requirements for admission according to study program:
- Bachelor: Applicants need the (technical) Abitur and in many cases a certain grade point average. This is especially true for applications via the Central Applications Office (CAO).
- Master: A bachelor’s degree from a similar subject is required. The MBA usually requires a Bachelor of Honors. A certain GPA is desirable for many master’s programs, for example LLM.
- Doctorate: A Bachelor of Honors with good grades or a master’s degree are common requirements for a doctorate. Before applying, prospective PhD students should contact the Irish university to work out a topic and prepare a Research Project Proposal.
- Semester abroad and Academic Gap Year: Applicants need a high school diploma for the Study Abroad Program at an Irish university or for study abroad after school.
In some cases, the various departments have additional requirements. In addition to the application form, a curriculum vitae, a letter of motivation and a transcript are required. Especially in the arts, universities in Ireland require a portfolio or allow auditioning or auditioning.
Students applying in the field of medicine and health often require academic tests such as the Health Professions Admission Test (HPAT) or Graduate Medical School Admissions Test (GAMSAT) for admission. Those older than 23 must take the Mature Students Admissions Pathway (MSAP) for certain subjects.
The respective university decides on the fulfillment of the admission requirements and the successful application for study in Ireland.
The application process at Irish universities
If you are interested in studying in Ireland, it is best to find out about the admission requirements and application deadlines a year in advance. The application process begins after the identification phase about nine to six months before the intended start of the course.
Applicants to study in Ireland submit all required documents through the CAO, PAC or directly to the Irish university. The exact dates vary depending on the department and study program, especially for interviews or portfolios. Timely registration for academic admission tests is also important in order to meet the respective deadlines.
The application process begins about six months before the start of the course. Prospective students first fill out all the required forms online and prepare them for mail. Undergraduate students usually send the documents to the CAO by post. For a semester abroad, both bachelor and master students can specify their choice of course directly at the university of their choice. It is advisable to include alternative courses.
After applying to study in Ireland, prospective master’s and semester abroad students usually receive a letter of admission a few weeks later. For undergraduate students, the CAO will send the notification on behalf of the Irish universities from the beginning of July. After admission, students accept the study place and pay the tuition fees.
At the same time as the application process, it is advisable to prepare yourself for studying abroad in Ireland and to arrange the financing.
Institutes of Technology in Ireland
A purely academic career is not for everyone. Many people would rather do a more job-oriented training, but still complete a degree. The Institutes of Technology in Ireland are ideal for this.
They combine theory and practice in their studies and, due to their application-oriented courses, can best be compared with German universities of applied sciences.
History of the Institutes of Technology
The Institutes of Technology in Ireland are considered a great success story in the Irish educational landscape.
At the beginning of the 1960s there was a demand for educational reform, especially in the technical area. This was not particularly respected, as there was no recognized diploma as a degree that required high professional standards. This gave rise to serious problems with young talent, which the establishment of the Institutes of Technology in Ireland was supposed to resolve.
Ireland has a total of 14 Institutes of Technology spread across the country. Except for the Dublin Institute of Technology, they were all originally known as Regional Technical Colleges and were established from 1970 onwards. Some grew out of existing colleges or educational institutions, but most were created from scratch.
The Dublin Institute of Technology
The Dublin Institute of Technology is a special case. Unlike the other Institutes of Technology in Ireland, it has a legal framework that is defined differently from the others. It awards its own degrees and is therefore independent.
For many, the quality of the Dublin Institute of Technology is somewhere between the other Institutes of Technology and the universities. The degrees are often equated with university degrees.
Studied at the Institutes of Technology
In principle, the Institutes of Technology in Ireland have a similar structure to universities, from the director to the academic council. THEA, the Technological Higher Education Association, is the representative body for most of them.
In addition to the originally planned training in business, engineering and natural sciences, the institutes now also provide training in other areas such as language or health care. From a technical point of view, they are always up to date with the various professional groups from business, industry, society and others.
At first she forgave mainly National Certificates and National Diplomas, but now the students can search for a two-year associate degree may also obtain Bachelor’s degrees. In the meantime, the institutes are even allowed to award masters and doctorates.
The course is designed to be very practical. After two years the students obtain the National Certificate, after three years the National Diploma. However, these degrees are not academic degrees. Such is only awarded with a bachelor’s degree.
The courses are quite small and usually require attendance. There is close contact with the teachers, who usually take time after class to answer students’ questions.
