Third Level (Tertiary) Education in Ireland
The higher education system in Ireland is broad in scope and encompasses the university sector, the technological sector, the colleges of education and private, independent colleges. The institutions which fall within the first three groupings are autonomous and self governing, but substantially state funded.
The number participating in higher education in Ireland has increased significantly in recent decades with over 55 percent of students who complete second level now going on to higher education – one of the highest participation rates in the world. Entry to third level education for Irish students is competitive and based upon performance in the final secondary school examination, the Leaving Certificate. Entry requirements for oversea students are determined individually by each institution and are generally based on national examination performance and English language aptitude.
The academic year typically runs from September to June and is divided into either two or three semesters with holidays in December (Christmas) and April (Easter).
Most universities run a semesterised system and modularisation has been introduced in the majority of colleges to allow greater flexibility for students. Teaching at undergraduate level generally involves a programme of lectures supplemented by tutorials, practical demonstrations and laboratory work (where relevant).
| Universities | Website |
| University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4 | www.ucd.ie |
| University College Cork, Cork | www.ucc.ie |
| National University of Ireland, Galway | www.nuigalway.ie |
| National University of Ireland, Maynooth | www.may.ie |
| University of Limerick, Limerick | www.ul.ie |
| Trinity College, Dublin | www.tcd.ie |
| Dublin City University | www.dcu.ie |
| National University of Ireland Recognised Colleges | Website |
| Institute of Public Administration | www.ipa.ie |
| National College of Art and Design | www.ncad.ie |
| Royal College of Surgeons Ireland | www.rcsi.ie |
| Shannon College of Hotel Management | www.shannoncollege.com |
| Institutes of Technology | Website |
| Dublin Institute of Technology | www.dit.ie |
| Athlone Institute of Technology | www.ait.ie |
| Cork Institute of Technology | www.cit.ie |
| Dundalk Institute of Technology | www.dkit.ie |
| Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology | www.iadt.ie |
| Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology | www.gmit.ie |
| Institute of Technology, Blanchardstown | www.itb.ie |
| Institute of Technology, Carlow | www.itcarlow.ie |
| Institute of Technology, Sligo | www.itsligo.ie |
| Institute of Technology, Tallaght | www.it-tallaght.ie |
| Institute of Technology, Tralee | www.ittralee.ie |
| Letterkenny Institute of Technology | www.lyit.ie |
| Limerick Institute of Technology | www.lit.ie |
| Waterford Institute of Technology | www.wit.ie |
| Colleges of Education | Website |
| The Church of Ireland College of Education | www.cice.ie |
| Froebel College of Education | www.froebel.ie |
| Marino Institute of Education | www.mie.ie |
| St. Angela’s College | www.stacs.edu.ie |
| St. Catherine’s College of Education for Home Economics | www.stcatherineshe.ie |
| St. Patrick’s College of Education | www.spd.dcu.ie |
| Mary Immaculate College | www.mic.ul.ie |
| Mater Dei Institute | www.materdei.ie |
| Other State-Aided Institutions | Website |
| National College of Ireland | www.ncirl.ie |
| All Hallows College | www.allhallows.ie |
| Garda College | www.garda.ie |
| Military College | www.military.ie |
| Tipperary Institute | www.tippinst.ie |
| Pontifical University of Maynooth | www.maynoothcollege.ie |
| St Patrick’s, Carlow College | www.carlowcollege.ie |
| Royal Irish Academy of Music | www.riam.ie |
| Other Institutions | Website |
| Honorable Society of Kings Inn | www.kingsinns.ie |
| Law Society of Ireland | www.lawsociety.ie |
