Atlantic Bridge is the one application that students living in Canada and the US use to apply to Irish medical schools: RCSI, UCD, Trinity, UCC, Galway and Limerick, plus RCSI Bahrain. For Fall 2027 entry, pay the lower application fee by 15 November 2026, aim for the first round on 15 December 2026 and submit by 31 January 2027 at the latest.
The Atlantic Bridge Programme (often searched as the Atlantic Bridge Program) is the application route that lets students living in Canada and the United States apply to the six Irish medical schools, RCSI, University College Dublin, Trinity College Dublin, University College Cork, the University of Galway and the University of Limerick, plus RCSI Bahrain, with a single application and one set of documents. It has run for over 30 years and currently has more than 1,600 North American students enrolled, with over 4,000 graduates practising back in North America. It lists up to about 350 medicine places and 45 dentistry places a year for North American students, and it also covers pharmacy and physiotherapy.
Can Canadian students study medicine in Ireland? Yes: straight from high school, after some university, or as a graduate. Which programme you apply to depends on where you are in your education (see eligibility below).
Every date in the 2027 cycle, in order, from the official Atlantic Bridge and RCSI pages.
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| 15 November 2026 | Lower application fee ends: $75 per school for medicine and dentistry, then $100 per school. |
| 15 December 2026 | First-round assessment deadline. Applications in by this date are assessed first. |
| Before 15 January 2027 | Register for Casper if RCSI Dublin or RCSI Bahrain is on your list (RCSI asks applicants to register before 15 January). |
| Sunday 17 January 2027 | Casper sitting, online, US$85. |
| Late January to late March 2027 | Interviews, depending on the school: RCSI graduate entry runs late January to late March; Limerick interviews in Canada in the spring. |
| 31 January 2027 | Applications close. Your MCAT or GAMSAT must also be sat by this date if you are applying for graduate entry. |
| Late February to early March 2027 | Most offers are made. Late offers can come as late as August 2027. |
| 31 March 2027 | Nothing is processed after this date and the portal closes. |
Assessment starts from the first-round date, so applying by 15 December 2026 gives you the most time. RCSI's own 15 January 2027 closing date is for its direct route (non-EU applicants living outside North America), not for Atlantic Bridge; for Atlantic Bridge the close is 31 January 2027.
Instead of applying to each Irish medical school separately, North American students submit one Atlantic Bridge application and one set of documents, then choose which participating schools to send it to. It is the Irish equivalent of a single common application. RCSI sends applicants living in the US and Canada to Atlantic Bridge, and Limerick takes every non-EU applicant through it. A few schools, such as UCD and Trinity, also take direct non-EU applications, but one Atlantic Bridge application reaches every school.
Atlantic Bridge is run by a dedicated admissions service, not by the universities themselves, so once you submit, an admissions counsellor guides you through what each school needs. The Irish schools then make their own decisions and hold their own interviews.
Your route depends on fee status, not passport alone. EU fees usually need 3 of the last 5 years living in the EU, EEA, UK or Switzerland, so a Canadian or US resident with an Irish or EU passport usually still applies as non-EU through Atlantic Bridge.
EU, UK and Irish fee status
CAO
One CAO application covers every Irish course. Selection is on grades plus an admissions test.
You send: No personal statement, CV or references for school leavers
Deadline: The CAO opens on 5 November 2026; last cycle it closed on 1 February
Living in the USA or Canada
Atlantic Bridge Programme
One application to all six Irish schools (plus RCSI Bahrain), handled by Atlantic Bridge's admissions counsellors.
You send: A two-page personal statement, a CV of up to two pages and two references
Deadline: First round 15 December 2026; applications close 31 January 2027
Non-EU, living anywhere else
Each school's own route
RCSI, UCD and Trinity take direct applications; UCC and Galway only accept applications through named agents; Limerick sends all non-EU applicants to Atlantic Bridge.
You send: A personal statement and references, but the length, question and CV rules differ by school
Deadline: Set by each school or agent, from mid-January to early February
EU fee status? Work out your CAO points with our Ireland CAO points calculator. Weighing Ireland against the wider picture? Read our guide to studying medicine in Ireland and the comparison of all six medical schools.
One application covers all six Irish medical schools, plus RCSI Bahrain. Click any school for its full international profile.
| University | City | Medicine programmes via Atlantic Bridge | Casper |
|---|---|---|---|
| RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences | Dublin | 6, 5 and 4 year | Required for 5 and 6 year medicine and for dentistry; not for 4 year graduate entry |
| Trinity College Dublin | Dublin | 5 year | Not required |
| University College Dublin | Dublin | 6, 5 and 4 year | Not required |
| University College Cork | Cork | 5 and 4 year | Not required |
| University of Galway | Galway | 6 and 5 year, plus a planned 4 year rural medicine programme (5 or 6 places, subject to Irish Medical Council accreditation) | Not required |
| University of Limerick | Limerick | 4 year (graduate entry only) | Not required |
| RCSI Bahrain | Bahrain | 6 and 5 year | Required for all applicants |
The 4-year graduate entry route is offered by UCC, UCD, Limerick and RCSI, and Galway plans a 4-year rural medicine programme for 2027 that is subject to accreditation. Trinity offers a 5-year programme only. Atlantic Bridge lists up to about 350 medicine places and 45 dentistry places a year.
No single acceptance rate is published, by Atlantic Bridge or by any Irish medical school, so treat any percentage you see online as an estimate. What is official is the number of places: up to about 350 medicine places and 45 dentistry places a year for North American students across the participating schools. Your chances depend on which schools and programme lengths you apply to, your grades or GPA, your MCAT or GAMSAT for graduate entry, your Casper result for RCSI, and your interview where the school holds one.
For wider context on Irish medical school acceptance, Ireland does not cap non-EU places: non-EU students made up between 37% and 50% of first-year medical students each year from 2010 to 2021, according to the Irish government's Spending Review 2022. That is a national figure for every non-EU student, not an Atlantic Bridge acceptance rate.
Is it worth it? For many applicants, yes. Atlantic Bridge can let you start medicine sooner, including straight from high school, and reach a globally recognised degree on a clear timeline. The trade-offs are higher international tuition and, if you plan to practise back home, re-entering as an international medical graduate. Weigh it against your home options and, where it helps, apply to both in parallel. To improve your odds, apply by the first round, clear the graduate entry minimums comfortably and prepare properly for interview.
Atlantic Bridge is for students living in Canada or the US. Which programme length you apply to depends on where you are in your education:
The minimums Atlantic Bridge publishes for each 4-year programme. You need the cGPA plus either the MCAT or the GAMSAT, sat by 31 January 2027.
| School | Minimum cGPA | MCAT | GAMSAT | Score valid for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University College Cork | 3.3 | 505 | 58 | 3 years* |
| University College Dublin | 3.0 | 503 | 57 | 2 years |
| University of Limerick | 3.0 | 500 | 58 | MCAT 3 years, GAMSAT 2 years |
| RCSI | 3.0 | 503 | 60 | 4 years |
| University of Galway (planned, subject to accreditation) | 3.0 | 503 | 60 | 3 years |
*UCC's own admissions page gives 3 years for the MCAT and 2 years for the GAMSAT.
RCSI describes its MCAT 503 and GAMSAT 60 as a guide to who is invited to interview, not a hard minimum. Galway's programme is planned for 2027 with 5 or 6 Atlantic Bridge places, subject to accreditation by the Irish Medical Council, and no other entry rules have been published yet. Limerick asks for a 2:1 degree in any discipline.
Taking the GAMSAT? Read our GAMSAT guide and Graduate Entry Medicine guide, or work 1-1 with one of our GAMSAT tutors.
Casper is an online situational judgement test. Through Atlantic Bridge it is required for RCSI Dublin's medicine and dentistry programmes and for every RCSI Bahrain applicant. You do not sit it for RCSI's 4-year graduate entry programme, or for dentistry if you will hold a degree by summer 2027. No other school on Atlantic Bridge asks for it.
The 2027 sitting is on Sunday 17 January 2027, online, and costs US$85. If you apply to both RCSI Dublin and RCSI Bahrain, you do not pay a second fee. Register early: RCSI asks applicants to register before 15 January 2027, well before Atlantic Bridge's 31 January close. See the RCSI profile for the school's specifics.
Every reference is requested through the Atlantic Bridge portal and must be a signed PDF on letterhead, addressed to "The Admissions Committee", without naming any university.
The full Fall 2027 process, from starting your application to accepting an offer.
The Atlantic Bridge personal statement has one official limit: two pages, double spaced, in 12-point font. There is no word count. The question is "Why do you want to study medicine, and what steps have you taken to achieve your goal?", with your own programme in place of medicine if you are applying for dentistry, pharmacy or physiotherapy. One rule is firm: the statement must not mention any school, because the same statement goes to all of them. It is paired with a CV of up to two pages, which has no margin or font rules.
Because one statement goes to every school, it has to be about you and the profession, not about any one university. Every line should earn its place: concrete, reflective evidence of your motivation and the steps you have taken, not a list of achievements. Our doctors review and edit personal statements, including the Atlantic Bridge essay, against exactly these rules.
Who interviews Atlantic Bridge applicants for 2027, and where.
| School | Interview through Atlantic Bridge |
|---|---|
| University College Dublin | Online |
| University College Cork | Online |
| University of Limerick | In person in Canada (Vancouver and Toronto), in the spring |
| RCSI Dublin | For 2027, only 4-year graduate entry applicants interview through Atlantic Bridge: online, late January to late March |
| RCSI Bahrain | In person in Toronto |
| University of Galway | 4-year graduate entry only (a planned programme), online |
| Trinity College Dublin | Not on Atlantic Bridge's list of interviewing schools |
No official page says whether these interviews are MMIs or panels, so be wary of anyone who tells you the format for certain. Trinity's own site says its direct non-EU medicine applicants are interviewed, so if Trinity is on your list, ask your Atlantic Bridge counsellor what applies to you.
Our interview coaching gives you 1-1 mock interviews with doctors and detailed feedback, timed around your school's interview, whether it is online or in person.
Non-EU applicants to Irish medicine send a personal statement and references, and most are interviewed. Doctors review your statement and coach you 1-1 for interview.
Published 2027/28 non-EU tuition for undergraduate medicine runs from €54,414 a year at UCC to €66,455 at UCD, with RCSI at €62,000 plus a €135 NUI fee. Graduate entry costs €58,614 at UCC, €63,500 plus €135 at RCSI and €67,690 at UCD, and Limerick lists €56,600 for non-EU students. Trinity's last published maximum was €60,000 for 2026/27, and Galway has not yet published its 2027/28 non-EU fee. A 4- to 6-year degree is a major investment before living costs.
On top of tuition, budget for the Atlantic Bridge application fee ($75 per school for medicine and dentistry until 15 November 2026, then $100), Casper (US$85) if you are applying to RCSI, and the MCAT or GAMSAT if you are a graduate applicant.
For the wider picture, see our Ireland medicine fees breakdown, or open any school profile for that university's published fee.
US federal loans are more limited than many applicants assume. RCSI is the one Irish medical school that participates in the US Federal Direct (Stafford and Grad PLUS) loan programme for medicine, so US students there complete the FAFSA and can borrow at the graduate or professional level. At Trinity, UCD, UCC, Galway and Limerick the medicine programme is generally excluded from federal loans, even where the university itself holds a federal school code, so US students there rely on private loans. Confirm the current position directly with each school's financial aid administrator before you rely on it.
Canadian students typically fund their studies through provincial student loans and bank lines of credit. Alongside tuition, budget for flights and accommodation. As a non-EU student you will also register with Irish immigration (an IRP card) after you arrive and show private health insurance.
Weighing dentistry? See our guide to every UK dentistry university and dentistry application support.
An Irish medical degree is internationally recognised, but how you return home matters and you should plan it from the start.
We have helped medical applicants since 2012. For Atlantic Bridge applicants, the parts we specialise in map directly onto what the application asks for:
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.
The Atlantic Bridge Programme is the application route that lets students living in Canada and the United States apply to the six Irish medical schools (RCSI, UCD, Trinity, UCC, Galway and Limerick), plus RCSI Bahrain, with a single application and one set of documents. It has run for over 30 years and lists up to about 350 medicine places a year for North American students.
Yes. Residents of Canada and the US apply through Atlantic Bridge, which covers all six Irish medical schools and RCSI Bahrain. You can apply straight from high school (the 6-year programmes accept a high school diploma; the 5-year programmes need AP or IB), after one or more years of university, or as a graduate with the MCAT or GAMSAT for the 4-year programmes.
Students living in Canada or the United States. If you also hold an EU, UK or Irish passport, check your fee status first: EU fees usually need 3 of the last 5 years living in the EU, EEA, UK or Switzerland, and applicants assessed as EU apply through the CAO. Atlantic Bridge asks that you are 17 by 15 January of your first year of study (RCSI's own rule for its direct route is 18 by 31 December of the entry year).
For the 5-year programmes, AP or IB including chemistry: AP Chemistry is required by every school except UCD, where it is highly recommended, and IB applicants need Higher Level Chemistry with all six exams sat in one session. The 6-year programmes at UCD, Galway, RCSI and RCSI Bahrain accept a high school diploma. Graduate entry needs a degree, a cGPA of at least 3.0 (3.3 at UCC) and an MCAT of 500 to 505 or a GAMSAT of 57 to 60 depending on the school, sat by 31 January 2027. Everyone sends a personal statement, a CV and two references (or one committee letter).
No single acceptance rate is published, by Atlantic Bridge or by the Irish schools, so any percentage you see is an estimate. What is official is the number of places: up to about 350 medicine places and 45 dentistry places a year for North American students. Your chances depend on which schools and programme lengths you apply to, your grades or GPA, your MCAT or GAMSAT for graduate entry, Casper for RCSI and your interview where the school holds one.
Only for RCSI. Casper is required for RCSI Dublin's medicine and dentistry programmes and for every RCSI Bahrain applicant. It is not required for RCSI's 4-year graduate entry programme, or for dentistry applicants who will hold a degree by summer 2027. The 2027 sitting is online on Sunday 17 January 2027 and costs US$85, with no second fee if you also apply to RCSI Bahrain. Register early: RCSI asks applicants to register before 15 January 2027.
The lower application fee ($75 per school for medicine and dentistry) ends on 15 November 2026, after which it is $100. The first-round assessment deadline is 15 December 2026 and applications close on 31 January 2027. Nothing is processed after 31 March 2027, when the portal closes. RCSI's own 15 January 2027 deadline is for its direct route, not for Atlantic Bridge, but Casper registration for RCSI still has to happen before the 17 January sitting.
Up to two pages, double spaced, in 12-point font. The question is "Why do you want to study medicine, and what steps have you taken to achieve your goal?" (dentistry, pharmacy and physiotherapy applicants answer it for their own programme), and the statement must not mention any school, because the same one goes to all of them. It is paired with a CV of up to two pages, with no margin or font rules.
It depends on the school. UCD and UCC interview online; Limerick interviews in person in Canada (Vancouver and Toronto) in the spring; RCSI Bahrain interviews in person in Toronto; Galway interviews only for its planned 4-year programme, online; and for 2027 RCSI Dublin interviews only 4-year graduate entry applicants through Atlantic Bridge, from late January to late March. Trinity is not on Atlantic Bridge's list of interviewing schools. No official page says whether the interviews are MMIs or panels.
UCC, UCD, Limerick and RCSI, plus a planned rural medicine programme at the University of Galway with 5 or 6 places, which is subject to accreditation by the Irish Medical Council. Atlantic Bridge's minimums are: UCC cGPA 3.3, MCAT 505, GAMSAT 58; UCD 3.0, 503, 57; Limerick 3.0, 500, 58; RCSI 3.0, 503, 60; Galway 3.0, 503, 60. The MCAT or GAMSAT must be sat by 31 January 2027. Trinity offers a 5-year programme only.
Published 2027/28 non-EU tuition for undergraduate medicine runs from €54,414 a year at UCC to €66,455 at UCD, with RCSI at €62,000 plus a €135 NUI fee. Graduate entry is €58,614 at UCC, €63,500 plus €135 at RCSI and €67,690 at UCD; Limerick lists €56,600 for non-EU students. Trinity's last published maximum was €60,000 for 2026/27 and Galway has not yet published its 2027/28 non-EU fee. On top of tuition, budget for the application fee per school, Casper (US$85) for RCSI and the MCAT or GAMSAT for graduate entry.
Sometimes, but the rules are stricter than people expect. RCSI is the one Irish medical school that participates in the US Federal Direct (Stafford and Grad PLUS) loan programme for medicine, so US students there complete the FAFSA. At the other schools the medicine programme is generally excluded from federal loans, even where the university holds a federal school code, so US students rely on private loans. Always confirm the current position with each school's financial aid administrator. Canadian students typically use provincial student loans and bank lines of credit.
Yes, but you re-enter as an international medical graduate. To practise in the US you complete the USMLE and ECFMG certification and match into a US residency; for Canada you sit the MCCQE and apply through the residency match. Plan this route early, because matching back is competitive. Irish degrees are also recognised by the UK GMC.
Yes. Irish medical degrees are internationally recognised, including by the UK General Medical Council for registration and the UK Foundation Programme. For the US and Canada the degree is recognised for licensing, subject to the USMLE/ECFMG or MCCQE and the residency match, where you are treated as an international medical graduate.
It depends on your profile. Atlantic Bridge can be a strong route if you want to start medicine sooner, including straight from high school, or if your MCAT or GPA is competitive for Ireland but not for a home seat. The trade-offs are higher international tuition and the need to match back as an international medical graduate if you want to practise in North America. Many applicants apply to both in parallel.
Yes, with the same one-application model, but not veterinary medicine. Dentistry is at UCC, Trinity, RCSI and Queen's University Belfast (up to about 45 places a year) and needs a second reference from a dentist. Pharmacy is at RCSI, Trinity and UCC. Physiotherapy is at UCD, Limerick and RCSI, and UCD physiotherapy is the only programme that asks for a third reference.
From personal statement editing to interview coaching, GAMSAT tutoring and our all-in-one Ultimate Package, we support graduate and international applicants at every stage. Tell us where you are applying from and we will recommend the right option.
Ultimate Package students from our 2025/26 cycle, with their UCAT scores and offers, who trained with us for the UCAT, personal statements and interviews.
“Harry got my UCAT up to 2,590, working through the sections I kept dropping marks on week by week. Gemma then ran my interview practice so the MMI stations didn't catch me out, and Dr Akash mentored me the whole way through. I'm off to King's for Medicine.”
“The interview prep was the part that actually moved the needle. Proper mock MMIs, not just lists of questions, and feedback that was honest about what I was getting wrong. I ended up with four offers and firmed UCL.”
“The Ultimate Package kept me organised from UCAT through to interviews. They knew what dental schools actually ask and tightened up my personal statement. Four offers in the end, and I'm going to Birmingham.”
“Vet applications come down to the written SAQs as much as the interview. Dr Rebecca went through my SAQs line by line, sharpened my answers and prepped me for the panels. I came away with four offers and chose the RVC.”
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