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For admission purposes, there are two categories of applicant: EU/EFTA/UK or International (non-EU).
Fees status should be established prior to making an application to UCC. Fee status will be retained for the duration of a course. To determine whether you are an EU/EFTA/UK applicant or a Non-EU applicant please complete the EU/Non-EU Fees Assessment Form located on the Fees Office website and email it to feesassessments@ucc.ie or return to the Fees Office in the North Wing.
For further information, please visit the Fee Status section of the Fees Office website.
International Student: If your status is Non-EU, you should apply directly to the International Office using the undergraduate online application system: Undergraduate Programmes
Application process
Applicants must apply through the Central Applications Office System (CAO). Complete information on the CAO system is available in the CAO Handbook and is also available on the CAO website at www.cao.ie. Each application must be accompanied by appropriate documentation.
Timelines and Schedules
Please consult the published CAO schedule to get more information on the timelines for offers. The general timeline is as follows:
Apply through CAO (www.cao.ie) by 1 February
Late applications are accepted up to 1 May with the payment of an additional late application fee
In general, applicants can change their course choices up to 1 July although there are some restrictions
Offers cannot issue until the Irish school-leaving exam results are known. This is usually mid-August with round 1 offers following a few days later. Eligible applicants remain on the waiting list and may be offered in order of merit in later rounds, in accordance with CAO procedures.
It is NOT possible for the University or the CAO to issue full or conditional offers to school-leaving applicants before Round 1.
Documentation to be submitted with CAO Application Form
When submitting an application to the CAO it must be accompanied by the following documentation (or followed by the documentation if applying online):
A certified true copy of official transcripts of academic results (eg. Full IB Diploma and Grades Awarded)
In some cases, the final school report is also required (to show the full range of subjects taken)
A certified English translation is required in the case of qualifications not issued originally in English or Irish, in addition to the certified photocopies of the original documents.
Please Note
In the absence of these documents and translations, the application may not be processed.
Applicants who are awaiting current year examination results must forward their results as soon as they become available to the CAO.
For applicants who are successful in their application, the HEI will require that the original documentation be presented at registration for verification.
Offers of places are provisional until such time as all Registration formalities have been completed within the University.
If you are applying on the basis of your school-leaving examination results, you are not required to provide a personal statement, letters of recommendation, or any additional material to the documents listed above. You will be assessed on your grades alone. If you are a Mature Applicant, please consult the Mature Student Information pages.
Latest Date for Submitting Documentation
Documents for qualifications already complete should arrive in CAO within 10 days of submission of the online application
For current year examination results: Results should be forwarded as soon as they issue.
To be considered in the competition for places in Round One, these results must arrive in CAO by 1 August, otherwise, they will be considered for subsequent rounds, subject to availability of places and at the discretion of the HEI. It may not be possible to gain entry in the current year if documents and/or results are presented later than the dates stated above.
Undergraduate Medicine
For undergraduate entry to Medicine, school leavers, in addition to the application through the CAO, must also apply directly to ACER to complete the HPAT-Ireland test. HPAT-Ireland results can be used for application to Medicine for one year, meaning that if an applicant sits the test in February 2024 the resulting score is valid for 2024 entry only.
For entry to all degrees, 6 subjects including English,Irish (unless exempt), and four other subjects in the Leaving Certificate (or equivalent GCE/GCSE or other acceptable qualification) are required.
Candidates born and fully educated outside the Republic of Ireland (26 counties) who are presenting qualifications other than the Leaving Certificate for matriculation are automatically exempt from Irish and do not need to make an application to NUI.
A third language must be included among the other subjects for most degree programmes in Arts, Human Sciences, Law, Social Science, Commerce, Medicine and Health Sciences and some other degrees.
For Business programmes such as Commerce, the subjects presented must include Mathematics and for courses in the Sciences (i.e. Science and also Agriculture, Engineering, Food Science and Technology, Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences) Mathematics and a Science subject.
Jakob is really interested in doing Medicine (CK701) in UCC, but knows it’s a very competitive course (last year, we only accepted the top 6% of candidates). He reviews the EU/EFTA/UK Entry Requirements Guide and sees that he needs to have the following minimum scores in his IB:
English – As Jakob is taking English as his Language B, he would need a HL4 or an SL6 to meet our English Language Requirements.
Maths – HL3 or SL4
Other Language – HL3 or SL4
Chemistry – HL5
Physics or Biology – HL5
Jakob is predicted to get a 40 as his overall IB score, which awards him 543 CAO points. Based on the 2023 combined minimum points score for Medicine of 732, that would mean he would need a score of 189 in his HPAT (which means doing better than 90% of all HPAT candidates). If he scored 41 in his IB (giving him a moderated points score of 553), he would need to aim for a score of around 179 in his HPAT instead.
Camille loved science subjects in school and is interested in applying for CK402 (Biological and Chemical Sciences). She read through the information on the EU/EFTA/UK Entry Requirements Guide and is confused about meeting the H4 Lab Science requirement with her Physics and Chemistry grades; she scored 15 in her Epreuves Terminales. For a “Lab Science” requirement, a score of 15 with coefficient ≥ 16 is the equivalent of an Irish Leaving Cert H2.
With a score of 16, Camille will meet the minimum Lab Science subject requirement for CK402. As well as her Phys/Chem, she will also need:
Five other subjects, which must include:
English - 13 at coefficient ≥ 16 or 15 if coefficient is lower than 16 or equivalent English language competence
Maths – As Camille met the H4 requirement in her Lab Science, she needs a 10 in the Epreuves Terminales (coefficient ≥ 16) or 12 otherwise to meet the O6/H7 Irish Leaving Cert requirement
Three other distinct recognised subjects
Last year, 75% of the students who sat the French Baccalaureate and were offered admission scored over 500 points. In 2023, the minimum points required for entry to CK402 were 533. Camille has met the minimum subject requirements and scored an overall Moyenne sur 20 of 17, which is equivalent to 564 CAO points. If the points are similar this year, Camille has a very good chance of receiving an offer through the CAO for UCC.
Matteo would like to do Applied Psychology (CK120) in UCC and knows he needs to aim for a high score in his Esame di Stato. However, he doesn’t know whether he’ll be able to sit an external English exam like an IELTS/TOEFL before he makes his application to the CAO. He checks the EU/EFTA/UK Entry Requirements and sees that he can meet the English requirements with an 8 in his final year of school, as long as it is within two years of his application to UCC.
If Matteo wants his application to be considered, he must first present an overall score of 60%, with 6 distinct recognised subjects taken over the final two years of school.
Matteo must present:
English – Matteo is confident that he can achieve the minimum requirement of an 8 in his final year and knows that if he achieves anything less, he still has options and can present with a recognised English language competence
Other Language – Matteo has been doing exceptionally well with his Italian and is confident in meeting our minimum requirement of a 6
Four other distinct recognised subjects
Matteo is predicted an overall score of 90, which is excellent and would be the equivalent of 493 CAO points. As a guideline, Matteo should consider that the cutoff for 2023 entry to CK120 was 554. We would encourage Matteo to research the many other programmes that UCC has to offer him and the points required for 2023 (as a guideline) and hope to see him on campus in September.
English Language Requirements (for Non-Irish EU applicants)
Teaching in Irish Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) is normally through the medium of English; therefore all applicants are required to demonstrate a high level of competence in the English Language.
Applicants whose first language is not English must provide evidence of equivalent competence in English Language through their school leaving examination or matriculation examination or by achieving the minimum standard (there may be higher levels for matriculation and/or particular programmes in individual institutions) in a recognised English language test, as specified below (note applicants are assessed on the results of a single sitting only):
Recognised English Proficiency Exams
Exam Name
Required Score
Duolingo English Test (DET)
A minimum score of 120 is required with at least 110 in each subscore.
Internet-based test: 90 (no less than 21 in writing and at least 19 in every other section) in the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
Written test: A minimum score of 600 administered by Princeton University, with Test of Written English at 475+.
International English Language Testing System (IELTS) - Academic
An average score of 6.5 overall components and a minimum of 6.00 in each band in the IELTS Academic Test.
Both Test Centre and Online versions are accepted.
University of Cambridge
176+ on Cambridge English scale with no less than 169 in each skill and use of English i.e.
Proficiency Certificate, Grade C or better (CEFR Level C1 or C2)
Advanced Certificate, Grade C or better (CEFR Level C1 or C2)
First Certificate, Grade A (CEFR Level C1)
English Test for Academic and Professional Purposes (ETAPP)
With grade C1 or better (CEFR Level C1 or C2)
UK Examining Boards/Bodies
GCE O Level English Language at Grade C or above
GCSE English Language at Grade C or above
GCSE English Literature at Grade C or above
CSE Grade 1 Pass in English
University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES)
English at grade C or above (incorporating the Oxford Examining Body’s English as a Foreign Language (Higher Paper)
Pearson English Language Test (PTE Academic) and PTE Academic Online
A minimum of 63 (with at least 59 for each item in the Communicative Skills section)
Trinity ISE
Trinity ISE III with at least merit in each skill category
Oxford English Test
A minimum score of 140 overall with a minimum score of 125 in each skill.
Language Cert
B2 Communicator High Pass with no less than 33 in each skill
QQI/FE ESL
Merit in the module “English as a Second Language” or “Communications” (level 5)
IELCA Academic
Minimum score 35 with a minimum of 33 in each band
Skills for English
UKVI B2 (4 component test): Pass with Merit in all components
EU/EFTA/UK Countries’ Matriculation Examination
Matriculation Examinations from European Countries where English is presented as a subject and an acceptable level is achieved can be used to prove level of English. Where the examination has been taken more than 2 years previously candidates may be required to take a proficiency test. Where an English proficiency test that is scored on the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) is presented as part of a school-leaving qualification, the grade must be C1/C2.
Or an equivalent level of English in a recognised examination
Proficiency tests are used to meet entry requirements but do not count towards points scores. For all proficiency tests, the results must normally have been issued within two years prior to the start of your course (i.e. for entry in September 2025, only results attained since 1 February 2023 will be accepted).
Note: Where an applicant shows evidence of hearing impairment that meets the requirements for access, the English language requirements can be met without the hearing and speaking components.
It is not possible to include every qualification worldwide in the Entry requirements criteria for EU/EFTA/UK Applicants document. Non-EU qualifications are assessed jointly insofar as possible. Applicants presenting non-EU qualifications should seek advice from the Admissions Office of the HEI(s) to which they are applying regarding eligibility and entry requirements. While an Admissions Office may give an indication of likely points conversion, this will not be final until agreed by all relevant Admissions Officers.
Disclaimer
EU/EFTA/UK qualifications are assessed by the university in July each year. Whilst every effort is made to ensure the contents of the following pages are accurate, the information has been provided by the following EU/EFTA/UK Entry Requirements document published by the Central Applications Office (CAO). The information in these pages is subject to change and the following pages are solely for information gathering purposes and do not guarantee an applicant any form of offer or grant any rights to potential applicants.
Applicant’s Responsibility
It is the responsibility of the applicant to provide full and accurate information in the application and to notify the University of any changes or corrections made to the original application. Applicants must provide copies of both the official (untranslated) document and a translation where the official document is not issued in English. The HEI may request verification from the issuing authority of any or all details on documentation presented. If documents are found to have been falsified the awarding body will be notified. In the light of additional information which was not available at the time of selection, an offer may be amended or, in exceptional circumstances, withdrawn. The University also reserves the right to correct errors where they have been made in the communication of decisions and offers.
The onus is on the applicant to check entry criteria for the programmes for which they are applying. Please note, criteria can change from year to year.
