How to Study Medicine in Ireland

Studying medicine in Ireland — an overview

Ireland offers undergraduate Medicine programmes at several universities, leading to a primary medical qualification. Medicine is a competitive course, and the application process differs depending on whether you apply as an Irish/EU student or as a non-EU international student.

Medical schools in Ireland include institutions such as RCSI, University College Cork, Trinity College Dublin, and University College Dublin. Because requirements and routes differ by school and applicant category, treat this as an overview and confirm the current details on each medical school's official pages.

The undergraduate CAO route and the HPAT (Irish/EU applicants)

Irish and EU applicants typically apply for undergraduate Medicine through the CAO (Central Applications Office), the central system for undergraduate entry in Ireland. For this route, applicants generally sit the HPAT (Health Professions Admission Test), which is combined with school-leaving exam results in the selection process.

The HPAT assesses reasoning and interpersonal-understanding skills rather than curriculum knowledge. The exact way HPAT results and Leaving Certificate (or equivalent) points are combined is set by the system each year, so verify the current rules on cao.ie and the official HPAT and medical-school sources before applying.

• Apply through the CAO (cao.ie) for undergraduate entry
• Sit the HPAT admissions test
• Selection combines HPAT with school-leaving results
• Exact combination rules are set each cycle — verify officially

Routes for non-EU international students

Non-EU international applicants often apply directly to Irish medical schools (or through a designated international application route) rather than only through the CAO, and the entry requirements, tests, fees, and number of available places can differ from the Irish/EU route.

Some schools may require an admissions test or specific qualifications for international entry. Because these arrangements vary by school, check each medical school's official international-admissions pages for the route, requirements, and deadlines that apply to you.

Subject requirements and graduate-entry options

Undergraduate Medicine in Ireland generally requires strong science qualifications at school-leaving level, with each school publishing the subjects and grades it accepts for different qualification systems. Confirm these on the official course pages.

Ireland also offers graduate-entry Medicine for applicants who already hold a bachelor's degree, which uses a different admissions route. That option is covered in the related graduate-entry medicine guide; verify each programme's specific requirements on its official site.

Permission to study and verifying details

Non-EEA students who are accepted onto an eligible full-time course in Ireland generally need immigration permission to study, and on arrival typically register and receive a residence permission appropriate to study (commonly known as Stamp 2 for eligible full-time students). Permitted working hours and conditions are set by the authorities.

This is general information, not immigration advice. Study-permission rules, fees, and conditions change, so verify the current requirements on the official sources at irishimmigration.ie and citizensinformation.ie, and confirm course and fee details on each university's official site.