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Universities In Ireland
Universities in the Republic of Ireland attract a wide range of students as they are world-class teaching facilities with a long heritage. Many accomplished people and experts have graduated from universities in Ireland, including Olympians, actors and comedians. Plus, a number of their female students were among the first professors and surgeons to work or teach in the UK and Ireland, including Professor Mary Ryan who was the first ever university professor in the UK or Ireland and taught at University College Cork.
Some universities in Ireland, such as Trinity College Dublin, can date their founding back to the 15th Century, whilst in direct contrast to this the Technological University Dublin only officially became a university in 2019.
International students and mature students make up a large proportion of the student body in the Republic of Ireland and the number of international students has increased in recent years. The universities in Ireland offer an excellent education in many fields, particularly the Arts, Medicine and the Humanities.
Let's take a look at the various options avaiable to you as a student in Ireland.
Find a postgraduate program in IRELAND
Dublin City University
Dublin City University is a new university based in the capital of the Republic of Ireland. It is the fastest growing university in the country.boasting over 50,000 graduates to date.
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Established |
1975 |
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Number of Students |
17,000 |
|
Famous Alumni |
Comedians Ardal O’Hanlon and Neil Delamere |
International students: 22%
Number of postgrad courses: 110
Tuition fees & costs: From €7,240 per year for IrEU students / from €18,000 per year for non-EU students.
Facilities & specialisms: This large university focuses on a large number of areas including Departments of Education, Science and Health, Engineering and Computing, and Humanities and Social Sciences.
Maynooth University
Maynooth University is located in Maynooth in County Kildare. It was formerly known as the National University of Ireland, and before that it was St Patrick's College, Maynooth which was founded in 1795.
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Established |
1795 |
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Number of Students |
15,180 |
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Top Teacher |
Former President of Ireland, Éamon de Valera, taught Physics and Maths here in 1912 |
Number of students: 15,180
Taught postgraduates: 1,885,
Research postgraduates: 580
Number of postgrad courses: Around 60
Tuition fees & costs: From €6,500 per year for EU students / from €14,000 per year for non-EU students.
Facilities & specialisms: This is a university that offers a large number of courses in traditional academic areas such as the Arts and Humanities, Law, Engineering and Technology, Social Sciences, Physical Sciences, Computer Sciences, Psychology, Business and Economics, Education and Life Sciences.
University of Galway
University of Galway – located in the city of Galway – was previously known as the National University of Ireland, Galway (NUI Galway). It ranks among the top 1% of universities in the world and has a prestigious history spanning almost two centuries.
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Established |
1845 |
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Number of Students |
19,000 |
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Famous Alumnus |
The ninth President of Ireland, Michael D Higgins |
Number of postgrad courses: 200+ taught postgraduate 100+ research postgradaute
International students: 4,000 international students
Tuition fees & costs: From €6,490 for EU students / from €14,980 for non-EU students.
Facilities & specialisms: Students are offered a large range of options and the University of Galway focuses well in the Departments of Hospitality, Medicine, Arts and Humanities, Psychology, Engineering and Technology, Physical Sciences and Education.
Trinity College Dublin
Trinity College Dublin is a research universitylocated in the nation's capital city. It was founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabteh I.
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Established |
1592 |
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Number of Students |
20,000+ |
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Famous Alumni |
Writers Oscar Wilde and Samuel Beckett |
Postgrad student cohort: 5,000+ postgraduate students; 1,600 PhD students
Number of postgrad courses: 160+
Tuition fees & costs: From €9,580 per year for Irish and EU students / from €17,500 per year for non-EU students.
Facilities & specialisms: Trinity College Dublin has an excellent academic reputation especially in the Facilities of Law, Business and Economics, Physical Sciences, Medicine and Dentistry, Sciences and Social Sciences.
Technological University Dublin
Technological University Dublin – or TU Dublin as it is more commonly known – comprises of three preceding institutions – Dublin Institute of Technology, Institute of Technology, Blanchardstown, and Institute of Technology, Tallaght. It was established in its current form in January 2019.
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Established |
Origins in1887, established in current form in 2019 |
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Number of Students |
28,500 |
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Combines |
Three institutes of technology in the Dublin area |
Number of students: 28,500 students in total
Number of postgrad courses: 100+
Tuition fees & costs: From €6,000 per year for Irish and EU students / from €11,000 per year for non-EU students
Facilities & specialisms: This new university already has a good reputation in Education, Physical Sciences, Engineering and Technology
University College Cork
University College Cork is located in Cork in the south west of Ireland. It's original student cohort was just 185 students, and it now boasts a student population of almost 20,000, with 3,000 international students.
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Established |
1845 |
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Number of Students |
20,500 |
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Top Teacher |
The first female university professor in the UK and Ireland – Professor Mary Ryan – served at UCC |
Postgrad student cohort: 5,000
Number of postgrad courses: 200+
International students: 3,000
Tuition fees & costs: From €6,430 per year for Irish and EU students / from €16,700 per year for non-EU students
Facilities & specialisms: This large university offers a huge range of courses and specialisms includes the Departments of Engineering, Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, Arts and Humanities, and Social Sciences.
University College Dublin
University College Dublin is one of Europe's leading intensive-research universitie and is based in Ireland's capital city. With around 38,000 students, it is Ireland's largest university.
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Established |
1854 |
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Number of Students |
38,000 |
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Famous Alumni |
Rugby player Brian O’Driscoll and actor Gabriel Byrne |
Postgrad student cohort: 9,000
Number of postgrad courses: 475
International students; 5,000
Tuition fees & costs: From €7,610 per year for Irish and EU students / from €21,520 per year for non-EU students.
Facilities & specialisms: University College Dublin has an excellent reputation in the Departments of Law, Physical Sciences, Engineering, Life Sciences, and Business and Economics.
University of Limerick
The University of Limerick is located on the west coast of Ireland along the River Shannon. Each year it welcomes over 2,000 international students among its 16,000+ students.
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Established |
1972 |
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Teaching Methods |
Employs elements of the US university system such as the grade point average system (GPA) |
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Famous Alumni |
Rugby player Brian O’Driscoll and actor Gabriel Byrne |
Student cohort: 16,000 students in total, 13,000 undergraduates, 2,600 postgraduate taught students, 800 postgraduate reserach students.
International students: 1,500
Number of postgrad courses: 150+
Tuition fees & costs: From €9,000 per year for Irish and EU students / from €17,500 per year for non-EU students.
Facilities & specialisms: Students are offered an excellent reputation in the subject areas of Music, Dance, Sports Science, Physical Sciences, Education and Health Care.
Mary Immaculate College
Mary Immaculate College is a university-level College of Education and the Liberal Arts, academically linked with the University of Limerick.
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Established |
1898 |
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Student Fact |
10% of students are mature students |
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Famous Alumnus |
Alphonus Cullinan, Bishop of Waterford and Lismore |
Student cohort: 800 postgraduates, 4,650 undergraduates, 500 international students
Number of postgrad courses: 30
Tuition fees & costs: Up to €6,400 per year for Irish and EU students / up to €12,800 per year for non-EU students.
Facilities & specialisms: Mary Immaculate College is a small institution offering an excellent range of courses in Education.
National College of Art and Design
The National College of Art and Design is located in Dublin and offers the widest range of postgraduate and undergraduate degrees in art and design in Ireland.
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Established |
1746 |
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Fab Facilities |
Edward Murphy Library has over 100,000 art and design books |
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Famous Alumni |
Designers Orla Kiely and Philip Treacy |
Student cohort: 2,000 students in total, 1,300 full time, 700 part time
Number of postgrad courses: 10
Tuition fees & costs: €7,950 per year for Irish and EU students / up to €16,500 per year for non-EU students.
Facilities & specialisms: The National College of Art and Design is a small university that concentrates its courses in four areas of Education, Design, Fine Art and Visual Culture.
Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland is in Dublin and focuses entirely on health sciences. It incorporates a medical school, which is Ireland's largest medical school with over 3,000 students from 60 countries.
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Established |
1784 |
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Background |
Its precursor was established in 1446 and called the Guild |
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Famous Alumnus |
Emily Winifred Dickson – the first female admission to the Royal College of Surgeons in the UK and Ireland |
Student cohort: 4,185 students in total from 60 countries
Number of postgrad courses: 50+
Tuition fees & costs: Up to €16,250 per year for Irish and EU students / up to €32,500 per year for non-EU students.
Facilities & specialisms: This is a Medical School that offers postgraduate level advanced studies in the areas of Nursing, Midwifery, Dentistry, Radiology, and Sports and Exercise Medicine.
PLEASE NOTE: As a result of Brexit, from Autumn 2021 postgraduate students from the European Union studying at a UK university are being charged the same tuition fees as international students. Meanwhile, UK students studying their postgraduate course at a European university are also likely to incur higher tuition fees than their EU counterparts. It is advisable to check with the individual universities in the UK and Europe for up-to-date information on tuition fees for all postgraduate programs.
Find a postgraduate program in IRELAND
