Irish and EU applicants – School Leaver
To be eligible for consideration for an Irish or EU School Leaver place, you must:
- Meet the minimum entry (matriculation) and specific subject requirements.
- Achieve a minimum of 480 points in the same sitting of the Irish Leaving Certificate examination or equivalent.
- Sit the HPAT-Ireland test in the year of admission to the programme.
Access and scholarships
Minimum academic entry requirements
All students who qualify for EU admissions are eligible to apply. The local high school examinations that you complete will be used to assess competitiveness for admission. European examinations will be converted into the equivalent Irish Leaving Certificate (ILC) points. These points will then be added to your HPAT score (which is required for all EU School Leaver applicants) to provide an overall points score.
The applicant with the highest combined points score receives the first offer, the second highest receives the second offer and so on until all EU seats are filled. The allocation of School Leaver places is purely based on points.
The points conversions for European examinations are shown below. (These points equivalency calculations serve as a guide only. The onus is on the applicant to check entry criteria for the programmes for which they are applying. Eligibility criteria can change from year to year.)
Please note
The following applies to all Irish and EU School Leaver applicants:
- For applicants who meet the minimum subject entry requirements and the 480 points criterion in the same sitting of their school leaving examination, the allocation of places for Medicine will be determined on the basis of a combination of the Irish Leaving Certificate points, or equivalent points, and the HPAT-Ireland score.
- For the Medicine programme, Irish Leaving Certificate results, or equivalent, above 550 points are adjusted (or 'moderated') when combined with HPAT scores. More information on moderated results and HPAT scores can be found in the 'EU Applicants - Selection Criteria for Undergraduate Entry to Medicine' brochure below.
- HPAT scores are valid for one year only e.g. a 2025 HPAT score is valid for 2025 admission only.
- Combined entry points range 2024: As a guide, in 2024 Irish Leaving Certificate or equivalent points (for students who successfully entered the RCSI Medicine programme) ranged from 551 (moderated LCE points) to 565 (moderated LCE points) and HPAT-Ireland scores ranged from 167 to 221. The combined HPAT and moderated points score required for admission to the Undergraduate Medicine programme in 2023 was 732.
- Applicants completing school leaving examinations other than the Irish Leaving Certificate may be required to submit additional documentation as part of their application, or be subject to minimum English language requirements. The below document, 'Entry requirements criteria for EU/EFTA/UK applicants (other than the Leaving Certificate)', outlines this in further detail.
- If you have additional questions about the application process, please refer to the Application FAQs section.
Irish and EU applicants - Mature Entry
RCSI welcomes applications from Mature Entry applicants.
The aim of the Mature Entry pathway is to widen access and provide an opportunity for individuals who may not otherwise find it possible to join a medical programme.
The Mature Entry pathway attempts to select students in a holistic manner and focuses on life experience such as volunteer work or relevant work experience, in addition to the candidate's academic background.
To be eligible for consideration for an Irish or EU Mature Entry place, you must:
- Be an EU applicant (this includes applicants from Ireland, EU, EEA and Switzerland)*. If you are unsure of your status, please consult the EU Nationality Test as outlined in more detail in here.
- Be 23 years of age or older on 1 January of the year of entry to the Undergraduate Medicine programme.
- Apply via the CAO by 1 February.
- Complete the required admissions test (HPAT-Ireland) in the year of entry to the programme. (Note that HPAT scores are valid for one year only, e.g. a 2025 HPAT score is valid for 2025 admission only. More information on moderated results and HPAT scores can be found in the 'EU Applicants - Selection Criteria for Undergraduate Entry to Medicine' brochure below.)
- Meet the minimum entry requirements in the Irish Leaving Certificate Examination or equivalent, including RCSI pre-approved Access to Science programmes as outlined in more detail below.
Note: Mature Entry applicants often present a third-level qualification but this is not an essential requirement for consideration.
Non-EU applicants – School Leaver
RCSI aims to maintain a broad geographic spread to ensure that students are educated in a truly multicultural environment. Currently, there are over 60 different nationalities represented within the Undergraduate Medicine programme in RCSI Dublin.
The Medicine course is run over a five-year period. Some students, however, will have to complete a six year programme by undertaking a foundation year at the beginning of their studies. The decision to offer a six year medicine place versus a five year place is based on a student's educational background. The five and six-year entry requirements are shown in the minimum academic entry requirements section below.
Please note
- The entry requirements outlined below are relevant for those applying for entry in September 2025 only. These entry requirements are subject to annual review and applicants for 2026 onwards should ensure to check the most up-to-date requirements prior to commencing their application.
- Non-EU applicants are NOT required to take the HPAT-Ireland examination.
- If you are unsure whether you are an EU or Non-EU applicant, please consult the EU vs Non-EU policy for guidance.
- You can also contact the RCSI Admissions Office directly to verify your fees status, however, this must be done well in advance of the closing date.
The list below contains the most frequent academic programmes with which Non-EU students apply for the Medicine course. If your educational programme is not covered on this list, please contact the RCSI Admissions Office directly for further information.
Minimum academic entry requirements
Please note
The following information is relevant to all Undergraduate Medicine applicants.
Minimum English language requirements
IELTS
Teaching in RCSI is through the medium of English. As a consequence, all applicants are required to demonstrate a high level of English language competence. Applicants whose first language is not English must present a minimum overall average IELTS score of 6.5 with no individual band (reading, writing, listening and speaking) lower than 6.0. IELTS Certificates must be less than two years old at the time of admission. Equivalent scores in TOEFL are also acceptable.
Applicants presenting programmes that are delivered entirely through English (e.g. International Baccalaureate or A Levels) are not required to supply an IELTS certificate as part of their initial application. Please note that applicants presenting A Levels must hold a GCSE English grade 4 / C or above to meet RCSI's English language requirement.
Good Standing
Applicants who have been previously discontinued from any academic institution are deemed not to be in 'good standing' and are ineligible to apply to RCSI.
Fitness to Practice
Students will be subject to the University's Fitness to Practice policy, full details of which can be found in our policies section.
Minimum age requirement
For 2025 entry, Non-EU applicants must normally have attained the age of 18 years by 1 December following entry to RCSI.
Student vetting
Police clearance or 'Garda vetting', as it is known in Ireland, is required for all students who will be in contact with children and/or vulnerable adults during the course of their studies. All students on primary healthcare qualification programmes will be required to complete Garda Vetting in advance of their clinical placements. The Registry team at RCSI will contact registered students with instructions on how to complete the process at the appropriate time. The process will require students to complete a form outlining all of the permanent addresses that they have lived in from birth.
Additionally, any student joining the Medicine programme whose normal place of residence is not Ireland will be required to provide a Police Clearance Certificate from their country of origin in order to complete the registration requirements for the programme. Those holding an offer to join the programme will be contacted directly in relation to this process.
Transfers from other medical schools
RCSI has a 'no transfer' policy, more details of which can be found in our policies section.
Health screening
All RCSI Undergraduate programmes are delivered (in part) in clinical settings and exposure to infection is a risk. As part of the University's overall approach to minimising the risks associated with blood-borne viruses, all students must complete a blood-borne virus risk assessment. This is coordinated through the University Health Facility during the first year of attendance. All students admitted to the Medicine programmes must consent to immunisation at the RCSI Travel Health Centre at the Mercer's Medical Centre.
Applications from students with disabilities
RCSI welcomes applications from students with disabilities. However, it is strongly advised that applicants disclose their disability on their application and contact the RCSI Admissions Office to discuss any appropriate supports/reasonable accommodations. Applicants may also be required to provide relevant information which will be treated in the strictest of confidence.
International students are encouraged to contact the Learning Access Team in advance of accepting your place in the RCSI so we can advise you of the types of supports and reasonable accommodations which may be available to you. However, please be advised that supports you may have received in your home institution may differ from those provided here in the RCSI.
Evidence of your disability is also required to register with the Learning Access Service. Please note that the evidence of disability must be provided in English, and if not originally in English must be translated by a professional translator.