For 2027 entry, non-EU school leavers apply directly to RCSI between 1 November 2026 and 15 January 2027 (North Americans apply through Atlantic Bridge). You send a two-page personal statement, sit the Casper test on Sunday 17 January 2027 and need IELTS 6.5 with no band below 6.0; shortlisted applicants are interviewed one to one on Zoom. The 2027/28 non-EU fee is €62,000 a year, or €63,500 for graduate entry, plus a €135 NUI fee. EU, UK and Irish fee-status applicants apply through the CAO with the HPAT.
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At a glance
The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland is a not-for-profit health-sciences university in central Dublin, founded in 1784 and focused solely on medicine and health sciences.
It is one of the most international medical schools in Europe and pioneered Graduate Entry Medicine in the Republic of Ireland in 2006. Its MB BCh BAO degree is recognised by the UK General Medical Council. Since September 2025 RCSI has also run a dentistry degree (BDS), with 35 EU and about 20 non-EU places for 2027.
Which route you use depends on your fee status and where you are applying from, not which school you choose:
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.
For the full picture across all six schools, see our guide to studying medicine in Ireland and the Irish medical schools comparison.
What RCSI asks of a non-EU applicant living outside North America for 2027 entry:
Checked 14 October 2026 against rcsi.com, RCSI's official admissions page.
Applying from Canada or the US? You apply through Atlantic Bridge instead: see our Atlantic Bridge Programme guide. EU, UK and Irish fee-status applicants apply through the CAO: check your points with our CAO points calculator.
Through Atlantic Bridge, RCSI interviews only its 4-year graduate entry applicants for 2027 entry. CAO applicants are not interviewed: school leavers are selected on grades plus the HPAT, and graduate entrants on the GAMSAT.
| Non-EU undergraduate | €62,000 per year (2027/28) |
|---|---|
| Non-EU graduate entry | €63,500 per year (2027/28) |
| EU / UK / EEA | EU students who qualify for the Free Fees Initiative pay only ancillary charges (around €3,000 a year); EU graduate entry is part-funded by the HEA. |
RCSI also charges a €135 NUI fee on top of tuition. Dentistry (BDS) costs €64,000 a year for non-EU students, plus €135 and €4,000 in consumables spread over Years 2 to 5.
US federal loans: RCSI participates in the US Federal Direct Loan programme (Stafford and Grad PLUS) for eligible US citizens studying at least half-time. It is the only Irish medical school to do so for medicine; confirm your loan eligibility and RCSI's school code with the RCSI student finance office before you rely on it.
Compare costs across all six schools in our Ireland medicine fees breakdown. Fees rise most years, so confirm the figure for your year of entry on the official course page.
4-year Graduate Entry Medicine, the first programme of its kind in the Republic of Ireland (introduced 2006), with 30 EU and 52 non-EU places for 2027. You need a degree in any discipline with a competitive GPA, plus a GAMSAT or MCAT taken within the last four years. RCSI gives MCAT 503 or GAMSAT 60 as a guide to who is invited to interview, not a hard minimum. Graduate entry applicants do not sit Casper, and non-EU applicants who already hold a degree can apply only to graduate entry.
See our Graduate Entry Medicine guide and GAMSAT guide.
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.
Top 250 worldwide (THE 2026); one of Europe's most international medical schools
RCSI is Ireland's only university dedicated entirely to medicine and the health sciences, which gives it a single-minded focus that students notice from day one: there is no arts faculty or sprawling general campus, just medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, physiotherapy and advanced therapeutic technologies taught together in the centre of Dublin. That focus, plus a long surgical heritage going back to 1784, is a large part of why it is so well known internationally.
It is also one of the most international medical schools in Europe. More than a fifth of its medicine students come from Canada or the United States, and it has a North American alumni network of over 2,000 practising doctors, so North American applicants arrive to find a large, established community, not a handful of overseas students. RCSI is ranked inside the world's top 250 universities (Times Higher Education 2026) and was placed first in the world for Good Health and Well-being in the THE Impact Rankings 2025.
RCSI's campus sits on St Stephen's Green and York Street in the heart of Dublin, with its flagship 26 York Street building housing one of Europe's largest clinical-simulation and surgical-skills centres. It is a compact, city-centre, professional environment, not a parkland campus.
Where you train
An Irish medical degree from RCSI is internationally recognised, but how you get home matters and is worth planning from your first year. Here is what the route back looks like:
North American applicants can read the full route home, including the USMLE, ECFMG and the residency match, in our Atlantic Bridge Programme guide.
From personal statement editing and interview coaching to GAMSAT tutoring and our all-in-one Ultimate Package, we support applicants to RCSI at every stage. Tell us where you are applying from and we will recommend the right option.
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.
For 2027 entry, non-EU school leavers apply directly to RCSI between 1 November 2026 and 15 January 2027 (North Americans apply through Atlantic Bridge). You send a two-page personal statement, sit the Casper test on Sunday 17 January 2027 and need IELTS 6.5 with no band below 6.0; shortlisted applicants are interviewed one to one on Zoom. The 2027/28 non-EU fee is €62,000 a year, or €63,500 for graduate entry, plus a €135 NUI fee. EU, UK and Irish fee-status applicants apply through the CAO with the HPAT.
North America (Canada and the US): apply through the Atlantic Bridge Programme.
Other non-EU, including the Gulf, Asia, Africa and UK residents on a visa: apply directly to RCSI online. RCSI does not use agents for medicine or dentistry; Kuwaiti and Omani government scholars apply through their ministries.
EU, UK, Irish and EEA fee status: apply through the CAO, but only if you meet the residence test below (UK citizens need 3 of the last 5 years living in the EU, EEA, UK or Switzerland).
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.
How you apply: Directly to RCSI online (Kuwaiti and Omani government scholars apply through their ministries).
Personal statement: Two pages, double spaced, no set question. RCSI suggests covering your background, why RCSI and medicine, your skills, activities and work experience.
CV: Not requested. You upload documents that show your activities and experience instead.
References: Non-academic references, plus one academic referee whom RCSI contacts directly.
Test: Casper on Sunday 17 January 2027 (US$85) for privately funded school leavers; register before 15 January. IELTS 6.5 with no band below 6.0.
Interview: One-to-one on Zoom with the admissions team, focused on motivation and background. RCSI says there are no technical or ethical questions.
Deadline: 1 November 2026 to 15 January 2027 (€75 fee).
Non-EU undergraduate medicine at RCSI costs €62,000 per year (2027/28), and graduate entry €63,500 per year (2027/28). EU students who qualify for the Free Fees Initiative pay only ancillary charges (around €3,000 a year); EU graduate entry is part-funded by the HEA. RCSI also charges a €135 NUI fee on top of tuition. Dentistry (BDS) costs €64,000 a year for non-EU students, plus €135 and €4,000 in consumables spread over Years 2 to 5.
4-year Graduate Entry Medicine, the first programme of its kind in the Republic of Ireland (introduced 2006), with 30 EU and 52 non-EU places for 2027. You need a degree in any discipline with a competitive GPA, plus a GAMSAT or MCAT taken within the last four years. RCSI gives MCAT 503 or GAMSAT 60 as a guide to who is invited to interview, not a hard minimum. Graduate entry applicants do not sit Casper, and non-EU applicants who already hold a degree can apply only to graduate entry. The non-EU graduate entry fee is €63,500 per year (2027/28).
Yes, if you are a privately funded non-EU school leaver applying for medicine or dentistry, whether you apply directly or through Atlantic Bridge. The 2027 sitting is online on Sunday 17 January 2027 (US$85), and you must register before the 15 January application deadline. RCSI uses Casper to shortlist for interview. Graduate entry applicants and Kuwaiti or Omani government-sponsored applicants do not sit it.
Yes. RCSI graduates pursue US practice on the standard international medical graduate route: ECFMG certification, the USMLE exams and the ERAS/NRMP residency match. RCSI is the one Irish medical school that participates in the US Federal Direct Loan (Stafford/Grad PLUS) programme for eligible US students, and it offers structured careers support for up to three years after graduation, including for the US match.
Canadian graduates return through the Medical Council of Canada route (the MCCQE and NAC examinations) and the CaRMS R-1 match, which is open to Canadian citizens and permanent residents. RCSI's large North American alumni network includes graduates who have matched at institutions such as McGill, McMaster and the University of Toronto.
RCSI is Ireland's only university dedicated entirely to medicine and the health sciences, which gives it a single-minded focus that students notice from day one: there is no arts faculty or sprawling general campus, just medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, physiotherapy and advanced therapeutic technologies taught together in the centre of Dublin. That focus, plus a long surgical heritage going back to 1784, is a large part of why it is so well known internationally.
It is also one of the most international medical schools in Europe. More than a fifth of its medicine students come from Canada or the United States, and it has a North American alumni network of over 2,000 practising doctors, so North American applicants arrive to find a large, established community, not a handful of overseas students. RCSI is ranked inside the world's top 250 universities (Times Higher Education 2026) and was placed first in the world for Good Health and Well-being in the THE Impact Rankings 2025.
Yes. The MB BCh BAO is recognised by the UK GMC for registration. Graduates can register with the GMC and enter the UK Foundation Programme.
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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