One application, all six Irish medical schools. The complete 2026 guide to eligibility, requirements, Casper, deadlines, the personal statement and how to get in, for Canadian and US applicants.
The Atlantic Bridge Programme is the application route that lets students from Canada and the United States apply to all 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 4,500 graduates practising back in North America. Up to around 350 North American students start medicine in Ireland through it each year, and it also runs dentistry, pharmacy and physiotherapy routes.
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 equivalent, for Ireland, of a single common application, and it is the only route North American applicants use (the EU/CAO route and the direct non-EU route are for other applicants).
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 conduct their own interviews.
If you are 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 | Programmes via Atlantic Bridge | Casper |
|---|---|---|---|
| RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences | Dublin | 6, 5 and 4 year | Required |
| 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 | Not required |
| University of Limerick | Limerick | 4 year (graduate entry) | Not required |
| RCSI Bahrain | Bahrain | 6 and 5 year | See RCSI |
Graduate entry (the 4-year route) is offered by RCSI, UCD, UCC and Limerick. Trinity and Galway run undergraduate routes that graduates can also enter, and Galway adds a graduate-entry programme from 2027.
Atlantic Bridge admits up to around 350 North American students into medicine across the Irish schools each year. It is genuinely competitive: there is no single published acceptance rate, and your chances depend on your school choices, your grades or GPA, your MCAT or GAMSAT score where required, and your interview.
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, supported 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 early, hit the test thresholds comfortably, and prepare properly for interview.
There are four common entry profiles. Which programme length you apply to depends on where you are in your education:
Graduate applicants can prepare with our GAMSAT guide and Graduate Entry Medicine guide; the MCAT is the alternative test for North American graduates, and schools typically expect an upper-second (2:1) degree or a GPA around 3.0.
Casper is an online situational judgement test that assesses qualities like empathy, ethics and professionalism. For Atlantic Bridge, only RCSI requires it, and only for the 5-year and 6-year programmes. It costs around $85.
The catch is timing: RCSI stops accepting new applications just before the January Casper sitting, so if RCSI is on your list, register and sit Casper early rather than leaving it to the 31 January deadline. See the RCSI profile for the school's specifics.
The full process, from starting your application to accepting an offer.
| First-round assessment deadline | 15 December 2026 |
|---|---|
| Applications close | 31 January 2027 |
| RCSI applications close (Casper) | Mid-January 2027, before the Casper test date |
| Interviews | Late January to late March 2027 |
| Processing ends / portal closes | 31 March 2027 |
Dates shift each cycle, so always confirm the current year's deadlines on the official Atlantic Bridge website before you commit. Apply early: assessment is rolling from the first-round date and RCSI's Casper deadline comes first.
The Atlantic Bridge personal statement is short and specific: a maximum of two pages, double-spaced, in 12-point font, which is roughly 500 to 650 words. There is one prompt, why you want to study medicine and what steps you have taken to achieve your goal, and one firm rule: you must not name any of the schools you are applying to, because the same statement goes to all of them. It is paired with a CV of up to two pages.
Because it is shorter and more focused than a UCAS statement, every line has to 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 expectations.
Non-EU tuition for medicine in Ireland ranges from roughly €51,000 to €61,000 per year depending on the school, so a 4- to 6-year degree is a major investment before living costs. On top of tuition, budget for the application itself, the MCAT or GAMSAT if you are a graduate applicant, and Casper (about $85) if you are applying to RCSI.
For the full figures by school, 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. On top of tuition, budget for a non-refundable application fee, the MCAT or GAMSAT if you are a graduate applicant, Casper for RCSI (about $85), 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.
Atlantic Bridge is not only for medicine. The same application service covers dentistry, pharmacy and physiotherapy at Irish universities, with separate, smaller intakes for North American students: roughly up to 45 dentistry, 30 physiotherapy and 12 pharmacy places a year (physiotherapy asks for three references rather than two, and pharmacy and physiotherapy carry a US$50 application fee per school).
Weighing dentistry? See our UK dental schools guide and dentistry application support.
Complete medicine application support: UCAT tutoring, personal statement reviews and interview coaching from doctors.
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:
Work with doctors and admissions experts across every stage of your application.
The Atlantic Bridge Programme is the application route that lets students from Canada and the United States apply to all 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 currently has more than 1,600 North American students enrolled.
Students resident in Canada or the United States. You can apply straight from high school with AP exams or the IB, after one or more years of university, or as a graduate. Graduates with a degree plus a competitive MCAT or GAMSAT score apply to the 4-year programmes; graduates without those tests, and school-leavers, apply to the 5- and 6-year programmes.
School-leavers need AP exams or the IB including chemistry (AP Chemistry is required by all schools; IB applicants need Higher Level chemistry and must sit all six IB exams in one session), plus biology and either physics or mathematics. Graduate-entry applicants need a bachelor's degree and a competitive MCAT (typically 500 to 505) or GAMSAT (typically 57 to 60). You also submit two references (or one committee letter), a personal statement and a CV.
Only for RCSI. RCSI's 5-year and 6-year programmes require the Casper situational judgement test (around $85) on a fixed date in January. RCSI stops accepting new applications just before the test date, so if RCSI is on your list you must book Casper early. The other five schools do not require Casper.
First-round assessment is 15 December 2026 and new applications close on 31 January 2027. Nothing is processed and the portal closes after 31 March 2027. Interviews run from late January to late March. Apply as early as you can, because places fill and RCSI's Casper deadline is earlier still.
A maximum of two pages, double-spaced, in 12-point font (roughly 500 to 650 words). There is one prompt, why you want to study medicine and what steps you have taken to achieve your goal, and you must not name any of the schools you are applying to. It is paired with a CV of up to two pages.
Non-EU tuition for medicine ranges from roughly €51,000 to €61,000 per year depending on the school, so a 4 to 6 year degree is a significant investment before living costs. You also budget for the application, Casper (about $85 for RCSI) and the MCAT or GAMSAT. See our Ireland medicine fees breakdown for the figures by school.
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.
RCSI, UCD, UCC and the University of Limerick offer the 4-year graduate-entry programme to applicants with a degree and a qualifying MCAT or GAMSAT score. Trinity and Galway offer 5- and 6-year routes (graduates can enter the longer programmes). The University of Galway will add a graduate-entry programme from 2027.
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.
Up to around 350 North American students start medicine across the Irish schools each year, plus roughly 45 in dentistry, 30 in physiotherapy and 12 in pharmacy. It is competitive, and there is no single published acceptance rate.
Sometimes, but the rules are stricter than people expect. RCSI is the one Irish medical school that participates in the US Federal Direct (Stafford/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. Alongside medicine, Atlantic Bridge runs dentistry, pharmacy and physiotherapy routes into Irish universities, with smaller annual intakes and the same one-application model (physiotherapy requires three references, and pharmacy and physiotherapy carry a US$50 fee per school).
From personal statement editing to interview coaching 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.
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