Third Level Education

Third level education in Ireland is mainly provided by universities and Institutes of Technology – including University College Cork and the Cork Institute of Technology. Universities offer degree programmes at Bachelors, Masters and Doctoral level. Institutes of Technology provide programmes along a progression ladder from certificate to diploma to degree level, as well as postgraduate degrees. Each university and IT produces a prospectus every year, which outlines all its courses and other services and is available free of charge.
Irish and other EU citizens pay no tuition fees for their first full-time, undergraduate course (provided they’ve been living in the EU for at least 3 of the previous 5 years and the course is at least 2 years). People with refugee status may also qualify for free fees. All other students, including non-EU citizens, post graduate students, part-time students etc must pay fees. Fees vary between colleges and courses and currently range from €6,500 to €15,500 per year.
A number of grant schemes operate to support students on third level courses. The main grant is the Higher Education Grants Scheme which provides maintenance grants for eligible students attending full time courses. Additional “top-up” grants are available for disadvantaged students. The grant scheme is open to Irish and other EU/EEA citizens, people with refugee status and some other categories of people with permission to remain in the state. To qualify your income must be below a certain level and you must have lived in the area for one year before applying.

How to Apply for Third Level Education?  

Applications for most full time, undergraduate courses are made once a year (closing date is usually 1 February) through the Central Applications Office (CAO). Applicants should indicate which courses and where they would like to study in order of preference. Once the Leaving Certificate results are available in August, offers of places are sent to applicants. Entry requirements are linked to Leaving Certificate results and some courses require very high results (e.g. medicine). A list of all courses and information on how to apply is available in the CAO handbook – CAO, 33 Eglinton St, Galway. Tel 091 5098000, www.cao.ie
  
Mature students (i.e. those aged 23 or over) may apply for third level courses regardless of their Leaving Certificate results. Supports, exemptions and application procedures for mature students differ between providers – many now have mature student officers who can provide advice and information. If you already have a qualification and want to find out whether it’s recognised in Ireland, contact the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland, 5th Floor, Jervis House, Jervis St, Dublin 1. Tel 01 8871500, e-mail: info@nqai.ie