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Medicine in Ireland

UCD medicine entry requirements and fees for international students

For 2027 entry, UCD's undergraduate medicine asks international applicants for A*A*A, A*AAB or A*AA plus a B at AS level (or Singapore H2 AABB, or HKDSE 55544), IELTS 6.5 with no band below 6.0, and an interview: every non-EU medicine applicant is interviewed. There is no admissions test for non-EU undergraduates. Graduate entry needs a 2:1 in any discipline (GPA 3.0) and GAMSAT 57 or MCAT 503. The 2027/28 non-EU fee is €66,455 a year, or €67,690 for graduate entry medicine.

Reviewed by Dr Akash Gandhi, MBBS MA (Cantab) DGM DRCOG MBA MRCGPUpdated October 2026

Trusted UK and international medicine admissions specialists since 2012 · 2,700+ taught

University College Dublin campus
Courtyard in front of the Newman Building, UCD, by David Martin (CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

At a glance

Location
Dublin, Ireland
Founded
1854
Reputation
Around 100th in the world (QS); one of Ireland's largest medical schools
Degree awarded
MB BCh BAO
Programmes
Undergraduate (6 years, DN400) and Graduate Entry (4 years, DN401)
Non-EU tuition
€66,455 per year (2027/28)
Graduate entry
Yes (4 years)
Annual intake
About 40 non-EU undergraduate places; graduate entry 77 EU and 20 to 60 non-EU
Admissions tests
None for non-EU undergraduates · HPAT (CAO) · GAMSAT or MCAT (graduate entry)
North American route
Atlantic Bridge
Recognised by UK GMC
Yes

Overview

University College Dublin traces its medical teaching to 1855 and is one of Ireland's largest medical schools, based on the Belfield campus in south Dublin.

It offers both a 6-year direct-entry programme (DN400) and a 4-year graduate-entry programme (DN401), both awarding the MB BCh BAO, which is recognised by the UK GMC.

  • One of Ireland's oldest and largest medical schools.
  • Offers both 6-year (DN400) and 4-year graduate-entry (DN401) routes.
  • North American students enter through the Atlantic Bridge Programme with an online interview.

How to apply to UCD medicine

Which route you use depends on your fee status and where you are applying from, not which school you choose:

  • North America (Canada and the US): apply through the Atlantic Bridge Programme (interview conducted online).
  • Other non-EU: apply directly to UCD online, or through a UCD partner such as IUMC or the RCSI & UCD Malaysia Campus.
  • EU, UK, Irish and EEA fee status: apply through the CAO (HPAT for undergraduate medicine, GAMSAT for graduate entry).

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.

How to apply from outside the EU

What UCD asks of a non-EU applicant living outside North America for 2027 entry:

How you apply
Directly to UCD online (€70 application fee), or through a UCD partner such as IUMC
Personal statement
A short personal statement. UCD publishes a two-page limit for North American applicants only
CV
Asked of North American applicants; not listed for other non-EU applicants
References
Two letters of reference
Test
No admissions test for undergraduate medicine; graduate entry needs GAMSAT 57 or MCAT 503
Interview
Every non-EU medicine applicant is interviewed; UCD does not publish the format or dates
Deadline
Applications open in October and close on 31 January

Checked 14 October 2026 against ucd.ie, UCD'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.

UCD medicine entry requirements

  • Grades for 2027 entry: A*A*A, A*AAB or A*AA plus a B at AS level; Singapore H2 AABB; HKDSE 55544. IELTS 6.5 overall with no band below 6.0, or TOEFL 90.
  • No admissions test for non-EU undergraduates: the HPAT-Ireland is for CAO applicants only.
  • Graduate entry: a 2:1 in any discipline (GPA 3.0) plus GAMSAT 57 or MCAT 503, taken within two years.

Atlantic Bridge applicants are interviewed online. CAO applicants are not interviewed. UCD does not publish an interview format for any route.

Tips for applying to UCD

  • North American applicants apply through the Atlantic Bridge Programme. Its application fee rises after 15 November 2026 and its first round is 15 December 2026, so apply early even though it closes on 31 January 2027.
  • Choose your route: the 6-year direct-entry programme (DN400) or the 4-year graduate-entry programme (DN401), which needs a 2:1 degree (GPA 3.0) and GAMSAT 57 or MCAT 503.
  • Every non-EU medicine applicant is interviewed and UCD does not publish the format, which can be online. Prepare to talk through your motivation and your personal statement, not for one set format.

UCD fees for international students

Non-EU undergraduate€66,455 per year (2027/28)
Non-EU graduate entry€67,690 per year (2027/28)
EU / UK / EEAEligible EU undergraduates are covered by the Free Fees Initiative and pay the student contribution; EU graduate-entry students pay a higher GEM fee.

Medicine offer holders pay an €8,000 deposit, and UCD medicine places cannot be deferred.

US federal loans: UCD holds a US Federal School Code (G10188), but eligibility of the medicine programme for US Federal Direct Loans has been in flux in recent cycles. Do not assume federal loans are available for medicine: confirm the current position in writing with UCD's fees office, and budget for private loans as a fallback.

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.

Graduate entry medicine at UCD

4-year Graduate Entry Medicine (CAO code DN401), with 77 EU and between 20 and 60 non-EU places. You need a 2:1 degree in any discipline (a cumulative GPA of 3.0) plus GAMSAT 57 or MCAT 503, and non-EU applicants are interviewed.

See our Graduate Entry Medicine guide and GAMSAT guide.

Applying to Ireland

Personal statement and interview help for Irish medical schools

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.

Why UCD is popular with international students

Around 100th in the world (QS); one of Ireland's largest medical schools

University College Dublin is one of Ireland's largest and most international universities, and its medical school, founded in 1854, is among the biggest in the country with a large clinical teaching staff. UCD is ranked around 100th in the QS World University Rankings, and the combination of scale, a broad hospital network and a global outlook makes it a popular choice for international applicants who want a big, research-active medical school.

Its international footprint is unusually wide: UCD has long run an overseas twinning programme in Malaysia and sends students on clinical and research electives around the world, including to leading North American centres. For applicants that means an established system for international students.

Campus, city and teaching hospitals

UCD's medical school is based on the large, leafy Belfield campus in south Dublin, a self-contained parkland campus a few kilometres from the city centre with extensive sports, library and student facilities. It is a more traditional campus experience than the Dublin city-centre schools.

Where you train

  • The Mater Misericordiae University Hospital and St Vincent's University Hospital as the principal teaching hospitals (around 980 beds between them)
  • The National Maternity Hospital and Children's Health Ireland at Temple Street, plus more than 20 other training hospitals and over 120 primary-care practices

Can you return to the US or Canada after graduating?

An Irish medical degree from UCD 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:

United States: Yes. UCD graduates sit the USMLE and gain ECFMG certification to enter the US residency match as international medical graduates, and the school funds electives at US institutions including Harvard and Penn. UCD holds a US Federal School Code (G10188); medicine-programme eligibility for federal loans has changed in recent cycles, so US applicants must confirm the current position with UCD directly.
Canada: Canadian-resident graduates return through CaRMS, sitting the MCCQE Part I and usually the NAC OSCE; some provinces also accept the USMLE Steps. Plan electives and exam timing early, as the international medical graduate stream is competitive.
United Kingdom: Yes. The MB BCh BAO is recognised by the UK GMC for registration. You register with the GMC and enter the two-year UK Foundation Programme.
Ireland: Graduates typically complete a one-year internship registered with the Medical Council of Ireland before moving into specialist training.

North American applicants can read the full route home, including the USMLE, ECFMG and the residency match, in our Atlantic Bridge Programme guide.

Contact us

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FAQs

UCD: frequently asked questions

What are the entry requirements for medicine at UCD?

For 2027 entry, UCD's undergraduate medicine asks international applicants for A*A*A, A*AAB or A*AA plus a B at AS level (or Singapore H2 AABB, or HKDSE 55544), IELTS 6.5 with no band below 6.0, and an interview: every non-EU medicine applicant is interviewed. There is no admissions test for non-EU undergraduates. Graduate entry needs a 2:1 in any discipline (GPA 3.0) and GAMSAT 57 or MCAT 503. The 2027/28 non-EU fee is €66,455 a year, or €67,690 for graduate entry medicine.

How do international students apply to medicine at UCD?

North America (Canada and the US): apply through the Atlantic Bridge Programme (interview conducted online).

Other non-EU: apply directly to UCD online, or through a UCD partner such as IUMC or the RCSI & UCD Malaysia Campus.

EU, UK, Irish and EEA fee status: apply through the CAO (HPAT for undergraduate medicine, GAMSAT for graduate entry).

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.

What do non-EU applicants send to UCD?

How you apply: Directly to UCD online (€70 application fee), or through a UCD partner such as IUMC.

Personal statement: A short personal statement. UCD publishes a two-page limit for North American applicants only.

CV: Asked of North American applicants; not listed for other non-EU applicants.

References: Two letters of reference.

Test: No admissions test for undergraduate medicine; graduate entry needs GAMSAT 57 or MCAT 503.

Interview: Every non-EU medicine applicant is interviewed; UCD does not publish the format or dates.

Deadline: Applications open in October and close on 31 January.

How much does medicine at UCD cost for international students?

Non-EU undergraduate medicine at UCD costs €66,455 per year (2027/28), and graduate entry €67,690 per year (2027/28). Eligible EU undergraduates are covered by the Free Fees Initiative and pay the student contribution; EU graduate-entry students pay a higher GEM fee. Medicine offer holders pay an €8,000 deposit, and UCD medicine places cannot be deferred.

Does UCD offer graduate entry medicine?

4-year Graduate Entry Medicine (CAO code DN401), with 77 EU and between 20 and 60 non-EU places. You need a 2:1 degree in any discipline (a cumulative GPA of 3.0) plus GAMSAT 57 or MCAT 503, and non-EU applicants are interviewed. The non-EU graduate entry fee is €67,690 per year (2027/28).

Can I return to practise in the US or Canada after studying medicine at UCD?

Yes. UCD graduates sit the USMLE and gain ECFMG certification to enter the US residency match as international medical graduates, and the school funds electives at US institutions including Harvard and Penn. UCD holds a US Federal School Code (G10188); medicine-programme eligibility for federal loans has changed in recent cycles, so US applicants must confirm the current position with UCD directly.

Canadian-resident graduates return through CaRMS, sitting the MCCQE Part I and usually the NAC OSCE; some provinces also accept the USMLE Steps. Plan electives and exam timing early, as the international medical graduate stream is competitive.

Why is UCD a popular choice for international medical students?

University College Dublin is one of Ireland's largest and most international universities, and its medical school, founded in 1854, is among the biggest in the country with a large clinical teaching staff. UCD is ranked around 100th in the QS World University Rankings, and the combination of scale, a broad hospital network and a global outlook makes it a popular choice for international applicants who want a big, research-active medical school.

Its international footprint is unusually wide: UCD has long run an overseas twinning programme in Malaysia and sends students on clinical and research electives around the world, including to leading North American centres. For applicants that means an established system for international students.

Is a medical degree from UCD recognised in the UK?

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.

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