Ireland

Whether you are considering spending a summer, a semester or a full academic year studying at an Irish university you are sure to encounter a unique and enriching educational and cultural experience. Irish universities offer a wide selection of Study Abroad Programmes allowing credit transfer arrangements with overseas universities and colleges.

A friendly and hospitable country, Ireland has a very special welcome for visitors from North America with whom it has a tradition of strong links. Every year the Irish experience is spoken of with enthusiasm by a growing number of North American and other overseas students. Some come because of their Irish descent and their interest in learning more about the history and culture of their forbears. Others come for an introduction to European politics, economics and society and to bring a European dimension to their studies. All comment on the ease with which they settle into student life in Ireland, the friendliness of the people, the physical beauty of the country, the vibrant social and cultural life and the opportunity studying in Ireland offers for both academic and personal growth.

Each of the Irish Universities has a Study Abroad office which is responsible for co-ordinating programmes aimed at overseas students spending either a summer, a semester or a full academic year studying in Ireland. The objective in any Study Abroad Programme is to experience different lifestyles and encounter new viewpoints. Junior Year Abroad and Study Abroad programmes offer students a unique and enriching educational and cultural experience.

Modules are offered in a broad spectrum of faculties and, with the exception of Summer Programmes, have a GPA entry requirement and involve a full-time course load. Many of these programmes involve credit transfer arrangements with overseas Universities and Colleges. We encourage students to visit the Internet pages of the universities or contact the institutions directly for further detailed information on the Study Abroad programmes on offer. Applications for all Study Abroad programmes should be made directly to the relevant institution.

In addition to full undergraduate and postgraduate courses, Irish Universities offer a wide selection of study programmes specifically designed to meet the needs of overseas students. These range from summer programmes, to semester and full academic year programmes over a broad spectrum of faculties. Further details can be viewed on their individual websites.

Ireland Education System

There are seven universities in the Republic of Ireland and two in Northern Ireland.

Universities offer degrees at Bachelors, Masters and Doctorate levels and undergraduate and postgraduate diplomas over a full range of disciplines. In addition research is undertaken in many areas and the universities are also involved in continuing and distance education programmes.

Teaching at undergraduate level is normally by way of a programme of lectures supplemented by tutorials and, where appropriate, practical demonstrations and laboratory work.

Masters degrees are usually taken by coursework, research work or a combination of both.

Doctoral degrees are awarded on the basis of research.

Universities award their own degrees using external examiners to ensure consistency of standards. There is also a Higher Education Authority (HEA) which oversees the work of the universities on behalf of the Department of Education and Science.

The Higher Education Authority is the body responsible for funding the universities and other third-level education institutions, and it has an advisory role in relation to the whole higher education sector. It is the Irish partner for the third-level aspects of the EU-funded SOCRATES Programme, and acts as Ireland's National Academic Recognition Information Centre (NARIC).

Cost of Living in IRELAND

This information is intended as an outline guide to some of the costs of living as a student in Ireland. No two people will live in the same way, so it is impossible to say exactly how much anyone needs. ICOS estimates that for a nine-month academic year, in addition to course fees and other academic expenses an international student living in Ireland will need approximately € 9950. University College Dublin (UCD) and Trinity College Dublin (TCD) make annual estimates for students living outside their family home. Their estimates for the academic year 2003-2004 are € 9036 and € 10 500 respectively. These figures include rent, electricity, food, books and laundry and medicine as well as travel and social life expenses.

Although some people might be able to manage on less than these costings, these figures are near the minimum needed to survive. Costs should be increased proportionately if you are calculating costs for a period of one full year.


Accommodations:
Accommodation is probably the largest item of expenditure for most students. You have basically three choices:

1. On-campus accommodation:
This is now becoming easier to obtain. All universities have halls of residence, generally in the form of apartments for 6 to 8 students, with a private bedroom and shared kitchen, living room and bathroom. Average price of a room in a student block or 'village' is € 100 per week. Utilities such as lighting may be extra.

2. Accommodation with a family
You can live as a paying guest in an Irish home, where you have your own room with space to study, but otherwise share the house with the family. Morning and evening meals will be provided, but you will have to pay for a light midday meal on campus (about € 25 a week). There are no extra charges for heat, light etc., and some of your laundry will be done. An average weekly charge will be around € 95- € 120.

3. Self-catering accommodation
If you choose self-catering accommodation, there is a wide range of quality and price. Cheapest is a small bed-sitting room with limited cooking facilities, usually in a converted older house, where you share the bathroom with the other tenants. A 'flatlet' (sometimes called a bedsit) will probably have its own mini-kitchen and shower, but this can vary. Prices range between € 380 - € 700 per month.

Setting yourself up in self-catering accommodation can be quite expensive. You will have to pay deposits and connection charges for gas and/or electricity. The cost varies from € 100 (small bed-sit) to € 380 (large apartment), and is refundable, or offset against your bill. However, if you set up a standing order to pay your bill, you might not need to pay a deposit.

You will have to supply your own bedding and maybe a few kitchen items, allow about € 90.

Television rental will cost about € 15 - € 26 per month. A TV license costs € 152.

Heating and Lighting:
As Ireland is quite a cold and wet country during the winter months you should allow about € 57 - € 140 a month. Lighting for the average flat may also be higher than you might be used to: the sun in wintertime rises at about 8.30am and sets at 4.30pm!

Telephones:
Some students rely on public phones because of the sometimes high initial costs of telephone connection and deposit (€ 125 - € 200). If the previous tenant had a land line however, reconnection might be free of charge: see www.eircom.ie, www.esat.ie for details. In many houses which are divided into flats or bedsits, there is a shared public phone in the hall. An alternative might be to purchase a mobile phone which is quite cheap to buy and operate. For shorter term stays, a pre-paid arrangement is probably the best option. See www.telestial.com for more details.

Insurance:
Insurance for student possessions is quite limited. Two companies, Saxon Insurance and Endsleigh, do provide limited cover at reasonable prices.

Saxon Insurance
c/o Wright Group Ltd
Corn Market Wexford
Phone: +353-53-41153
Fax: +353-53-41345
E-mail: wrightgroup@broker.assurelink.ie

Endsleigh Insurance Services Limited
Dominick Court
41 Lower Dominick Street
Dublin 1
Phone: +353-1-8781022
Website: www.endsleigh.co.uk

Food and Household Items:
Including some meals bought on campus or in cheaper restaurants, you will probably spend between € 50 - € 70 a week on these items.

Transport:
The average journey on a bus in Dublin is about € 1.25 but weekly and monthly bus tickets can be bought at a discounted price if you have a Student TravelCard. See www.dublinbus.ie for more details. Many students also cycle in Dublin and there are road lanes dedicated to bicycles only.

Social life:
Cinema tickets cost about € 7.50 and theatre tickets are slightly more. Depending on the venue, entrance fees to nightclubs vary between € 7 and € 15. A pint of beer in Dublin costs about € 4.00 and a glass of wine about the same. Cigarettes are expensive at € 5.96 for a packet of 20 but this expense depends on your lifestyle. There is a ban on smoking in the workplace in Ireland which came into effect on March 29th 2004. This means that smoking is now prohibited in bars and restaurants.

Miscellaneous Costs:
Allowing for occasional illness such as colds or influenza, medical expenses might amount to about € 13 per month on average. Postage costs 48c for letters within Ireland and 65c for letters to the rest of the world. Newspapers cost between 63c and € 1.52, but are sold more cheaply in Student Union shops on campus.

Further advice for non-EU / non-EEA students:
Cashback Tax-Free Shopping: Non-EU / non-EEA visitors to Ireland are entitled to tax-free shopping when buying goods to be brought home. The only way to reclaim your tax is through the Cashback system at the airports before you leave Ireland.

Tax will only be returned on goods bought in the final two months of your visit. Each time you purchase goods to take home, you must go to the Customer Service Desk in that shop and ask for Cashback vouchers. Keep these vouchers safe until the day of your departure. On some items e.g. clothing and footwear, you can save around 9%; on gifts and jewellery, the saving is 20% of shop prices. Further information at all department stores or at http://www.globalrefund.ie.
Including some meals bought on campus or in cheaper restaurants, you will probably spend between € 50 - € 70 a week on these items.

Transport:
The average journey on a bus in Dublin is about € 1.25 but weekly and monthly bus tickets can be bought at a discounted price if you have a Student TravelCard. See www.dublinbus.ie for more details. Many students also cycle in Dublin and there are road lanes dedicated to bicycles only.

Social life:
Cinema tickets cost about € 7.50 and theatre tickets are slightly more. Depending on the venue, entrance fees to nightclubs vary between € 7 and € 15. A pint of beer in Dublin costs about € 4.00 and a glass of wine about the same. Cigarettes are expensive at € 5.96 for a packet of 20 but this expense depends on your lifestyle. There is a ban on smoking in the workplace in Ireland which came into effect on March 29th 2004. This means that smoking is now prohibited in bars and restaurants.

Miscellaneous Costs:
Allowing for occasional illness such as colds or influenza, medical expenses might amount to about € 13 per month on average. Postage costs 48c for letters within Ireland and 65c for letters to the rest of the world. Newspapers cost between 63c and € 1.52, but are sold more cheaply in Student Union shops on campus.

Further advice for non-EU / non-EEA students:
Cash back Tax-Free Shopping: Non-EU / non-EEA visitors to Ireland are entitled to tax-free shopping when buying goods to be brought home. The only way to reclaim your tax is through the Cash back system at the airports before you leave Ireland.

Tax will only be returned on goods bought in the final two months of your visit. Each time you purchase goods to take home, you must go to the Customer Service Desk in that shop and ask for Cash back vouchers. Keep these vouchers safe until the day of your departure. On some items e.g. clothing and footwear, you can save around 9%; on gifts and jewellery, the saving is 20% of shop prices. Further information at all department stores or at http://www.globalrefund.ie.