All six Irish medical schools compared for international students: which route you apply by, what each school asks you to send, 2027/28 tuition fees and graduate entry. Checked against official university pages on 14 October 2026.
There are 6 medical schools in Ireland: RCSI, University College Dublin, Trinity College Dublin and University College Cork (all in or near Dublin and Cork), plus the University of Galway and the University of Limerick. Four offer a four-year Graduate Entry Medicine programme, and Galway plans one from 2027. How you apply depends on your fee status and where you live: the CAO for EU, UK and Irish fee status, the Atlantic Bridge Programme for US and Canadian residents, and each school's own route (direct or through an agent) for everyone else. Published non-EU undergraduate tuition runs from €54,414 to €66,455 a year.
Your route is set by your fee status and where you live, not by which school you want. Start at the top and follow your box down.
Start here
What is your fee status?
Irish medical schools decide your route by fee status, not passport alone. EU, UK, EEA and Swiss citizens usually need to have lived in the EU, EEA, UK or Switzerland for 3 of the last 5 years to qualify for EU fees. Anyone assessed as non-EU, including UK residents on a visa, applies through a non-EU route.
EU, UK and Irish fee status
Living in the USA or Canada
Non-EU, living anywhere else
Applying from Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, the Gulf, the UK on international fees or anywhere else outside North America? Each school sets its own rules.
| University | How you apply | Personal statement | CV | Test | Interview | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RCSI | Direct | 2 pages | No (evidence documents) | Casper (school leavers) | Yes, Zoom | 1 November 2026 to 15 January 2027 (€75 fee) |
| Trinity | Direct (IUMC for Singapore, Malaysia) | Why Trinity, about 500 words | No | None listed | Yes (medicine) | The 2027 portal opens on 1 November 2026; last cycle closed on 1 February |
| UCD | Direct or partner | Short statement | North America only | None for undergraduate | Yes, all non-EU | Applications open in October and close on 31 January |
| UCC | Agents only | 500 to 1,000 words | Yes | None for undergraduate | Not published | Set by each agent |
| Galway | Agents only | Set by agent | Set by agent | None listed | Not published | Set by each agent; 2027 dates are not out yet |
| Limerick | Atlantic Bridge (graduate entry only) | 2 pages | Yes, 2 pages | GAMSAT or MCAT | Yes, compulsory | Atlantic Bridge dates: first round 15 December 2026, close 31 January 2027 |
North American applicants send the same Atlantic Bridge documents to every school instead. No Irish medical school publishes a station-by-station interview format. RCSI and UCD, the two that describe theirs, focus on your motivation, your understanding of medicine and how you will cope with studying abroad. Each school's profile has the full detail and the official source.
Entry routes, programmes and non-EU fees at a glance. Click any school for the full international profile.
| University | City | Degree | Programmes | Non-EU fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences | Dublin | MB BCh BAO | Undergraduate (5 or 6 years) and Graduate Entry (4 years) | €62,000 per year (2027/28) |
| Trinity College Dublin | Dublin | MB BCh BAO | Undergraduate (5 years) | up to €60,000 per year (2026/27) |
| University College Dublin | Dublin | MB BCh BAO | Undergraduate (6 years, DN400) and Graduate Entry (4 years, DN401) | €66,455 per year (2027/28) |
| University College Cork | Cork | MB BCh BAO | Undergraduate (5 years, CK701) and Graduate Entry (4 years, CK791) | €54,414 per year (2027/28) |
| University of Galway | Galway | MB BCh BAO | Undergraduate (5 or 6 years, GY501); Graduate Entry planned for September 2027 | Not published (agents quote it) |
| University of Limerick | Limerick | BM BS | Graduate Entry (4 years); Undergraduate (6 years, LM301) for EU fee status only | €56,600 per year |
Non-EU fees are the latest published per-year figures and rise most years; confirm the figure for your year of entry on each university's fees page. Galway does not publish its non-EU fee (its agents quote it) and does not take direct non-EU applications.
University College Cork has the lowest published non-EU undergraduate fee, at €54,414 a year. Over a five or six year degree the gap between the cheapest and dearest school comes to about €60,000, before living costs.
Tap a school for entry requirements, fees, admissions tests and how to apply as an international student.
DublinMB BCh BAO · Founded 1784
One of Europe's most international medical schools: over a fifth of its medicine students come from the US or Canada.
View RCSI profile →
DublinMB BCh BAO · Founded 1592
Ireland's oldest university (1592), running a single 5-year programme with no separate graduate-entry route.
View Trinity profile →
DublinMB BCh BAO · Founded 1854
One of Ireland's largest medical schools, on the Belfield campus, with both 6-year and 4-year graduate-entry routes.
View UCD profile →
CorkMB BCh BAO · Founded 1845
A systems-based curriculum in Cork with early patient contact and a final-year research project.
View UCC profile →
GalwayMB BCh BAO · Founded 1845
Teaching medicine since 1845; non-EU students apply through regional agencies, not directly.
View Galway profile →
LimerickBM BS · Founded 1972
Ran Ireland's first graduate-entry medical programme (2007); problem-based learning, and graduate entry is the only route for non-EU applicants.
View Limerick profile →Image credits: RCSI building, St Stephen's Green, by Conoronmaps (CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped); Trinity College Dublin Campanile, by Memorino (CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped); Courtyard in front of the Newman Building, UCD, by David Martin (CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped); The Quad, University College Cork, by Sebastian B. (CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped); The Quadrangle, University of Galway, by Ian Capper (CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped); The School of Medicine at the University of Limerick, by Lukemcurley (CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped)
North American applicants should read our Atlantic Bridge Programme guide. Applying from the UK or EU? Use our CAO points calculator for medicine to see where your A-levels, IB or Leaving Cert sit on the 2027 scale. For deadlines, visas and life as a student, read our guide to studying medicine in Ireland.
A doctor mentor plans your school list across both countries, then works on your statements and interviews with you. Graduate entry applicants can add 1-1 GAMSAT tutoring.
There are 6 medical schools in Ireland: RCSI, University College Dublin, Trinity College Dublin and University College Cork, plus the University of Galway and the University of Limerick. 4 of them offer a four-year Graduate Entry Medicine programme (RCSI, UCD, UCC and Limerick), and Galway plans to add one from September 2027, subject to accreditation.
Yes, and Irish schools take far more international students than UK ones: there is no cap on non-EU places. Your route depends on fee status and where you live. US and Canadian residents use the Atlantic Bridge Programme. Other non-EU applicants apply directly to RCSI, UCD or Trinity, through named agents for UCC and Galway, and through Atlantic Bridge for Limerick. EU, UK and Irish applicants use the CAO.
University College Cork has the lowest published non-EU undergraduate medicine fee, at €54,414 a year, and University College Dublin the highest, at €66,455. Fees rise most years and Galway does not publish its non-EU fee (its agents quote it), so check the figure for your year of entry on each university's fees page.
RCSI, University College Dublin, University College Cork and the University of Limerick offer four-year Graduate Entry Medicine. The University of Galway plans to admit its first graduate-entry cohort in September 2027, subject to Irish Medical Council accreditation. Graduate entry needs a 2:1 degree plus a GAMSAT or MCAT score. Trinity has no graduate-entry route.
No. No Irish medical school uses the UCAT. EU applicants sit the HPAT-Ireland (or GAMSAT for graduate entry). Non-EU applicants to most undergraduate courses sit no admissions test at all, except RCSI, which asks privately funded school leavers to sit Casper (Sunday 17 January 2027).
Only on a non-EU route. CAO applicants send no personal statement. Non-EU applicants do, but the rules differ: Atlantic Bridge and RCSI ask for two double-spaced pages, UCC for 500 to 1,000 words, and Trinity asks why you chose Trinity. Atlantic Bridge also forbids naming any school, so one statement cannot serve every route.
Yes. Irish medical degrees are recognised by the UK General Medical Council. Graduates can register with the GMC and enter the UK Foundation Programme, and the degree is recognised internationally, sometimes subject to local licensing exams.
From personal statement editing and interview coaching to our all-in-one Ultimate Package, we support applicants to Irish medical schools at every stage. Tell us where you are applying from and we will recommend the right option.
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