How to Study Masters in Ireland: Application Process, Tuition and Cost of Living

Ireland‘s history has promoted a healthy appreciation and respect for learning, and, today, educational attainment rates are among the highest across the world. More than 85 per cent of young people complete secondary level education, and over two-thirds of those going on to tertiary institutions. Ireland comes first in Europe in terms of graduates per 1,000 inhabitants.

Government has invested massively in world class facilities and this builds on a long tradition of academic excellence. Presently, there are seven universities, 14 Institutes of Technology and many other world-leading education and research centres, situated in state-of-the-art facilities on beautiful campuses

Irish research is actually within the top one percent globally in 18 research fields, and all of the country’s universities rank in the top 3 percent worldwide. Students from more than 160 countries study in Ireland and constitute 12 percent of the student population.

Why Should I Study in Ireland?

Friendly and Safe

We are not the ones saying it! Ireland was actually voted by Lonely Planet as the world’s friendliest country sometime in 2008 and 2010 and was ranked 12th in the 2013 Global Peace Index. The hospitable nature of the people coupled with an unrivalled sense of fun ensures living in Ireland will turn out an unforgettable experience.

English-speaking country

As an English-speaking country,Ireland has close cultural, economic and educational links with the rest of the English-speaking world, especially with the UK – their next door neighbour – and with the USA itself.

Internationally recognised Courses and Degrees

Irish qualifications are recognised the world over. Students can select from a wide range of programmes to meet your needs in highly respected MBA schools, centres of scientific and technological excellence as well as renowned language, humanities and arts faculties.

Supportive Academic environments

Dedicated international offices work closely with academic, administrative and specialist staff in order to fully support international students throughout their time in Ireland. By virtue of these support structures and programs, students receive direct access to information, facilities, services and staff.

How to Apply to a Master’s in Ireland

If you’ve made up your mind to study a Master’s degree at a university in Ireland, you will have to put together the right documents to prove that you satisfy the university requirements. Do well to provide complete personal information, previous qualifications, financial information, and a personal statement.

What documents do I need to provide to apply in Ireland?

The documents you need to submit to apply for an Irish universities are clearly spelt out.You’ll need the following:

An English proficiency certificate;
Your past diplomas and certificates;
Identity proof.

Of course, based on the course you wish to apply to, you will need additional documents, such as:

Personal essays or writing samples;
Recommendation letters;
Your high school grades.

Prove your English skills

The Republic of Ireland is not so strict lenient on applicants, so, if you are already a native English speaker or you have studied before in English, then you will not need to provide an English certificate.

If you did not study in English or you are not a native speaker, then you should prepare the following:

TOEF;
IELTS;
C1 Advanced or Proficiency.
Additional test scores

Obviously, if the Master’s programme asks you for other test scores, you should provide them. This will depend on what degree you want to study, and at which university, so be sure to check out if you don’t need BMAT or LNAT.

Application deadlines for Ireland

If you didn’t know, The Republic of Ireland is probably the country with the longest application period ever! Over a period of 9 months, students are able to apply for their degree, but there’s something you should know: even though the application period starts in October and ends in March, whatever places were not confirmed by other students until the 1st of May will be considered vacant. So, the application process starts again from May until the 1st of July. Basically, whenever you decide to apply to a university in Ireland, it’s totally okay.

List of Universities

Althone Institute of Technology

Burren College of Art

National Institute For Bioprocessing Research and Training (NIBRT)

Institute of Technology Carlow

Cork Institute of Technology