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Irish Kids GCSE UK, how to get into ROI UNIVERSITY

62 replies

SlieveMiskish · 11/10/2025 19:25

Hi all, my husband and I went to UCC and we have a home and family there.. We would like our children to learn to love their home city by the Lee. Has anyone educated their children in UK got them into the courses they wanted in ROI? I’m wondering should they be homeschooled for 5th and 6 th year and do the leaving certificate online, via Bruce College, or go do A LEVELS here in UK. Any advice or experience would be deeply appreciated.

OP posts:
mathanxiety · 08/11/2025 17:24

WildRoseBalm · 08/11/2025 13:04

My son will be doing A-levels in NI. He’s keen to go to university in ROI and wondering if there’s a requirement that one of those Alevels must be a second language. It’s a way off for him (just started GCSE course) but this would be useful to know. Can anyone share their experience? Thanks

He needs to look closely at the requirements for the courses he's interested in and the universities or ITs/TUs he wants to study in. The requirements can vary.

Mushrump · 08/11/2025 17:29

mathanxiety · 08/11/2025 17:21

With respect, I don't see how that indicates the CAO is a shambles.

If anything, it indicates that entry to medicine in Irish universities is extremely competitive. And there is another layer to applying to medicine in Ireland (HPAT) that the students you know may not have been prepared for.

Also, how many UK universities offer undergraduate medicine? There must be 35 or 40. There are 6 in Ireland. It’s really not surprising that out of 30 applicants, only one got a place at an Irish university while 20 got a UK place.

mathanxiety · 08/11/2025 17:34

Cappuccino5 · 11/10/2025 23:50

With respect OP, you need to back off and realise that your DC’s university experience isn’t about you. You say that they need to make connections and learn to love Ireland but the harsh reality is that they don’t. They have their own lives to live. You chose to raise your kids outside Ireland and therefore it is unreasonable to expect them to have/develop heavy ties, purely for your own satisfaction it would seem. If you’re so desperate then why not just move?

I raised my kids outside of Ireland and they've all had a huge interest in the country and in their family there. They have their Irish passports and dual citizenship, and could work there or anywhere else in the EU or in the UK as a result, and their future children can also claim that passport too, even if born abroad (some extra paperwork needed, which they're all aware of).

One turned down the ROTC route through medicine and shouldered the financial impact of paying for med school purely because of the US armed forces requirement that they formally renounce foreign citizenship or entitlement to it.

Keeping all of your options open when it comes to university and careers afterwards is extremely important.

OchonAgusOchonOh · 08/11/2025 18:30

Mushrump · 08/11/2025 17:29

Also, how many UK universities offer undergraduate medicine? There must be 35 or 40. There are 6 in Ireland. It’s really not surprising that out of 30 applicants, only one got a place at an Irish university while 20 got a UK place.

I can also give examples of the reverse. Dd has a number of friends who applied to both Irish and UK universities for medicine and dentistry. Only one got offered a place in ur UK but they all got offers in Ireland.

DS also looked at courses in the UK but wasn't eligible for all bar one as he didn't have Leaving cert physics. Those same courses didn't require A level physics.

workshy46 · 08/11/2025 18:38

turkeyboots · 11/10/2025 22:11

Fees are cheaper (€2.5k per year) , but degrees are all 4 years vs 3 in the UK. And accommodation is just a nightmare right now, but hopefully will improve by the time yours are heading to college. If you have family who can house your student, that would be great. My DC has just started in Queens as Belfast is a much cheaper place to live.

They will be viewed as foreign if they are not educated here so it’s at least 10k plus .. more depending on the course. If that wasn’t the case we would have an influx of foreign students are uni fees are some of the lowest in the world

OchonAgusOchonOh · 08/11/2025 18:45

workshy46 · 08/11/2025 18:38

They will be viewed as foreign if they are not educated here so it’s at least 10k plus .. more depending on the course. If that wasn’t the case we would have an influx of foreign students are uni fees are some of the lowest in the world

They did a post brexit deal so they still just pay EU fees provided they meet the rules around that.

Cappuccino5 · 08/11/2025 19:54

mathanxiety · 08/11/2025 17:34

I raised my kids outside of Ireland and they've all had a huge interest in the country and in their family there. They have their Irish passports and dual citizenship, and could work there or anywhere else in the EU or in the UK as a result, and their future children can also claim that passport too, even if born abroad (some extra paperwork needed, which they're all aware of).

One turned down the ROTC route through medicine and shouldered the financial impact of paying for med school purely because of the US armed forces requirement that they formally renounce foreign citizenship or entitlement to it.

Keeping all of your options open when it comes to university and careers afterwards is extremely important.

Just because your kids have an interest in Ireland doesn’t mean that everybody’s kids need to. My point is that a parent should not be trying to dictate their child’s university choices in order to push their own agenda.

Re: Irish passports/citizenship this is irrelevant. Yes, they are massively beneficial (my own DD is an Irish/British dual national and very grateful for it!) but you don’t need to be living in Ireland to get one. It’s definitely not a justification for choosing an Irish university. All you need is the ancestry (which given that OP was born there her children will certainly have).

Battalicoa · 11/11/2025 00:56

workshy46 · 08/11/2025 18:38

They will be viewed as foreign if they are not educated here so it’s at least 10k plus .. more depending on the course. If that wasn’t the case we would have an influx of foreign students are uni fees are some of the lowest in the world

If coming from the UK this is just not true.

UK candidates have an elevated status equivalent to Irish students due to The Common Travel Agreement which was in place years before EU / Brexit situation. This is reciprocal for Irish students applying to UK unis.

So a UK student would still only pay €2500 per annum fees in Ireland but an Irish student would have to pay the £9725 annual fees if they came to the UK.

A UK student choosing to study in Ireland is not eligible to apply for any UK student loans for fees or maintenance - so you would need access to funds to self finance.

They don’t have to be ‘Irish Kids’ or have any Irish ancestry - anyone with a UK passport can apply to ROI unis.

Battalicoa · 11/11/2025 01:05

Cappuccino5 · 11/10/2025 23:56

We’re in the north so DD and many of her friends have experience of applying to both. The CAO system is an absolute shambles compared to UCAS, definitely not as fair and far more competitive. Presenting with A levels is still a disadvantage in terms of points - this has been on the agenda to fix for many years but neither education minister has actually committed to anything.

To put it into perspective..
30 kids in her year applied for medicine, both in ROI and in the UK as advised by school. 20 achieved a place at UK universities meanwhile only 1 got accepted within ROI!

Edited

Presenting with A levels is still a disadvantage in terms of points - this has been on the agenda to fix for many years but neither education minister has actually committed to anything.

The points system was adjusted for 2025 entry - so each A level is now worth slightly more points than before. Also EPQ counts as 1/2 A level which helps if they don’t have a fourth A level. Although it is still very competitive for specific courses and joint honors.

mathanxiety · 11/11/2025 02:03

Cappuccino5 · 08/11/2025 19:54

Just because your kids have an interest in Ireland doesn’t mean that everybody’s kids need to. My point is that a parent should not be trying to dictate their child’s university choices in order to push their own agenda.

Re: Irish passports/citizenship this is irrelevant. Yes, they are massively beneficial (my own DD is an Irish/British dual national and very grateful for it!) but you don’t need to be living in Ireland to get one. It’s definitely not a justification for choosing an Irish university. All you need is the ancestry (which given that OP was born there her children will certainly have).

If you read my post, you'll see that I believe passports are extremely important, and for solid practical reasons. The ability to open a bank account in the UK and in France using an Irish passport made a huge difference to two of my DCs who studied abroad during their undergrad years at American universities. The ability to apply for jobs in the EU or UK and emphasise that no visa would be required should they be hired is a massive advantage.

By the same token, encouraging an interest in my DCs' Irish heritage was absolutely something I felt was important for my own personal reasons too - and there is nothing unusual or wrong about that at all. The added perspective in their worldview is a huge plus, and their sense of connection to their large extended family across the pond is precious to them. Even little things like realising you look like the spit of your great uncle or your great grandmother when she was a young woman mean a lot.

As an Irish person whose ancestors settled or spent long periods of their lives on every continent, with those ancestors themselves or their descendants returning to Ireland in some cases, it's possible my perspective differs from yours. Maintaining the connection to family and to roots is very important for many people and just because you don't feel that doesn't mean it doesn't exist or someone else's descruption of it is irrelevant because 'anecdotal'. It's why emigrants go 'home' for Christmas or for holidays. It's why they do parades to celebrate important national days - Mexican Independence Day, Cinco de Mayo, Columbus Day, St Patrick's Day, and so on.

Every year, millions of people swab their cheeks and send off their DNA in hopes of finding out where their ancestors hailed from, many of them wishing that information hadn't been lost, whether through accidents of fate or deliberate suppression. People pay money to solve mysteries of heritage and obtain that sense of connection and identity.

There's a current thread here started by a Briton living in Southern Europe lamenting the fact that her child won't have the British childhood she had, and will not 'feel British' as she grows up. Many of the responses are from people who don't come from a society where emigration was a significant element of life. Some of the responses come from people who have experienced bringing up children in another country. Weirdly, a lot of Britons seem to think the OP shouldn't look back and are not really understanding what the OP is feeling. This comes from a lack of communal wisdom around emigration imo.

OchonAgusOchonOh · 11/11/2025 09:03

Battalicoa · 11/11/2025 01:05

Presenting with A levels is still a disadvantage in terms of points - this has been on the agenda to fix for many years but neither education minister has actually committed to anything.

The points system was adjusted for 2025 entry - so each A level is now worth slightly more points than before. Also EPQ counts as 1/2 A level which helps if they don’t have a fourth A level. Although it is still very competitive for specific courses and joint honors.

The reality is, presenting from a different system is a disadvantage most places. I know kids who got in to high points course in Ireland but not in UK as the UK system disadvantaged them. For example, requiring subjects at leaving cert not required for A level, limiting the number of places available to non-A Level students to a very small number, taking the Junior cert in to account etc.

Cappuccino5 · 11/11/2025 16:25

mathanxiety · 11/11/2025 02:03

If you read my post, you'll see that I believe passports are extremely important, and for solid practical reasons. The ability to open a bank account in the UK and in France using an Irish passport made a huge difference to two of my DCs who studied abroad during their undergrad years at American universities. The ability to apply for jobs in the EU or UK and emphasise that no visa would be required should they be hired is a massive advantage.

By the same token, encouraging an interest in my DCs' Irish heritage was absolutely something I felt was important for my own personal reasons too - and there is nothing unusual or wrong about that at all. The added perspective in their worldview is a huge plus, and their sense of connection to their large extended family across the pond is precious to them. Even little things like realising you look like the spit of your great uncle or your great grandmother when she was a young woman mean a lot.

As an Irish person whose ancestors settled or spent long periods of their lives on every continent, with those ancestors themselves or their descendants returning to Ireland in some cases, it's possible my perspective differs from yours. Maintaining the connection to family and to roots is very important for many people and just because you don't feel that doesn't mean it doesn't exist or someone else's descruption of it is irrelevant because 'anecdotal'. It's why emigrants go 'home' for Christmas or for holidays. It's why they do parades to celebrate important national days - Mexican Independence Day, Cinco de Mayo, Columbus Day, St Patrick's Day, and so on.

Every year, millions of people swab their cheeks and send off their DNA in hopes of finding out where their ancestors hailed from, many of them wishing that information hadn't been lost, whether through accidents of fate or deliberate suppression. People pay money to solve mysteries of heritage and obtain that sense of connection and identity.

There's a current thread here started by a Briton living in Southern Europe lamenting the fact that her child won't have the British childhood she had, and will not 'feel British' as she grows up. Many of the responses are from people who don't come from a society where emigration was a significant element of life. Some of the responses come from people who have experienced bringing up children in another country. Weirdly, a lot of Britons seem to think the OP shouldn't look back and are not really understanding what the OP is feeling. This comes from a lack of communal wisdom around emigration imo.

I’m Northern Irish (would describe myself as more Irish leaning than British) and personally think you’re massively over romanticising this. Entirely missing my point that a passport is of 0 importance to a university application in this context. Whether or not OP’s DC choose (or get forced..) to go to an Irish university they will still be entitled to the same passport and subsequent benefits via their ancestry.

The brain drain of young people in Ireland is a real issue at the moment. It’s not exactly an attractive destination for various reasons (cost of living, severe lack of affordable housing, lack of jobs, massive waits to access healthcare) and I certainly wouldn’t push my DC to live here for purely selfish reasons - the grass is unfortunately greener overseas. Wanting to force a lost connection isn’t a valid reason to want to sacrifice your children’s quality of life and future prospects.

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