Irish students have been choosing to study in the UK in significant numbers for some time. As many as 5000 applied to universities across Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland and England in 2024.
Students must apply through UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service) https://www.ucas.com which is is the admissions processing system for undergraduate courses at universities in the UK, somewhat similar to the CAO (Central Applications Office) system used in Ireland.
UCAS involves a very different style of application, but the effort required in coming to grips with the differences between CAO and UCAS is worthwhile, as it opens up access to a multitude of course that may be unattainable here in Ireland due to the points race.
In addition, courses may be shorter, and accommodation may be easier to find and cheaper.
The first big difference is that UCAS is a pre-results admissions system, meaning students get offers before they get their Leaving Cert results.
These offers are conditional on students meeting the specific requirements outlined by the university on Leaving Cert results day.
Next is deadlines: UCAS applications close much earlier than CAO applications. The majority of courses have an end of January deadline.
For 2025 it is Wednesday January 29 at 6 pm. There is an earlier deadline of October 15 for Oxford and Cambridge, and for all Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary courses. Follow here for regular updates and reminders.
The next big difference is the amount of paperwork required. Students are required to write a personal statement and nominate a referee to provide an academic character reference.
It is important to sell yourself very well in the personal statement. Don’t just list off your list of achievements and experiences.
Instead expand out into what you’ve learned from those experiences and why they may be relevant to the course you are applying to.
Here for help with writing a personal statement. Don’t delay in letting your school know that you are making a UCAS application.
Full application, including those documents must be uploaded to UCAS by January 29, 2025 at 6pm. The application fee is £28.50.
Next up are additional requirements: many UK universities require an interview, while some require specific tests.
UCAT is a pre-requisite for Medical and Dental programmes. Those applying for Ulster University’s Department of Health NI (DFH) funded courses – Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Radiotherapy, Radiography, Podiatry, Speech and Language Therapy – will need to take the newly introduced MSAT Ulster exam in March 2025.
Also different is the number of choices allowed. While the CAO application permits the listing of ten Level 8 courses and ten Level 6/7 courses, UCAS permits only five.
In contrast to the CAO those five courses do not need to be listed one to five in order of preference at the application stage.
This ranking will be requested in June, when students will be asked to choose their first preference choice (firm choice) and second preference choice (insurance choice) and to decline the other three.
By then, students will have successfully navigated all the selection methods other than Leaving Cert Results. In general, it is a good idea to choose a course with lower entry requirements as your second choice.
While conditional offers can be made as soon as 48 hours after applying, these offers only become confirmed places once the State Exam Commission share Leaving Cert Results with UCAS.
Finance is another big difference. In Irish Universities, other than private institutions, the student contribution fees for 2025/2026 will be reduced to €2000.
In England Scotland and Wales tuition fees are £9,535 per year. Northern Ireland is significantly cheaper, with fees set at £4,750.
See here for article on free fee/Dept of Heath funded courses in Northern Ireland. In the UK Irish students are granted home fee status, meaning they are treated the same as UK domestic students for fees purposes
Another attractive feature is that Irish students may avail of a student finance/loan scheme to cover tuition fees. https://www.gov.uk/get-undergraduate-student-loan
The loan does not need to be paid back until the graduate begins to earn in excess of €30,000. The loan is repaid over time by deducting a percentage from salary (9%).
If earnings go down due to unemployment, travel, illness etc., the repayments go down. It is important to note that income of parents is not taken into account here for loan application or loan repayment.
Also, in certain universities bursaries cover the cost of fees in return for working in the country for two years after graduation. SUSI grants will not cover tuition fees, but maintenance grants travel with the eligible student https://www.susi.ie/.
The accommodation situation is easier too. Across the UK there isn’t the same shortage of on-campus or off campus housing, and in Northern Ireland Ulster University guarantees campus accommodation for first years (see here).
All that sounds great, but the next big issue is what courses to list and where. UCAS offers more than 33,000 degree courses.
A great place to start is the UCAS website www.ucas.com. Go to course search and select as many filters as you want, such as course sector, location, points tariff etc.
With the exception of Northern Ireland, it can be difficult to figure out the Leaving Cert grade requirements. Some universities list Leaving Cert conversion points, others don’t.
However, UK university admissions personnel welcome enquiries from prospective students and are very quick to respond.
As with CAO courses look in great detail at the modules when comparing one course with another.
Then look at location. For Northern Ireland its relatively simple, there’s Ulster University with campuses in Derry, Coleraine and Belfast; and Queens University in Belfast.
But for England, Scotland and Wales get out the map. Make use of the UCAS Location Guide. Research cost and ease of travelling back to Ireland. Look at what facilities the university offers, and at clubs/societies etc.
Talk to people who are there or who have been there. Make use of the UCAS Student Chat tool to speak with students currently attending your universities of interest.
And of course, make sure your selected courses tie in with your chosen Leaving Cert subjects and predicted grades.
In summary, don’t dismiss the idea of going to college in the UK. Yes, it takes effort, but that effort could pay big dividends. Start now.
Let your school know, schools won’t be able to put required documentation together overnight. Request references, work on your personal statement. Do not miss the application deadline of 6pm, January 29, 2025.
This is a very handy UCAS Application guide.
If applying to UK universities still seems daunting specialist support is available through companies like The University Guys, who help students navigate everything from course selection to application requirements https://www.theuniversityguys.com/ .
Follow me on Instagram for regular updates and reminders also.
Gold Star Careers offers one-to-one or small group career advice, in-person or online, to people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds.
See www.goldstarcareers.ie for more information.
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