Eligible EU/EEA, Swiss and UK students pay no tuition for a first undergraduate degree at a public institution in Ireland – only a Student Contribution of at most €2,500 a year (2026/27); non-EU fees are usually €9,850–25,500. Programmes are taught almost entirely in English at 7 universities, 5 technological universities and other public institutions. See how CAO applications work and what Dublin costs.
Ireland's official languages are Irish and English, but almost all programmes are taught in English. Every applicant has to prove their English.
EU applicants usually do this with their English result in the school leaving exam – the minimum level is given in the CAO guidelines for EU certificates. If your exam is more than two years old or the institution asks for more, you can prove your English with a certificate such as IELTS or TOEFL.
For master's programmes and for applicants from outside the EU, institutions set their own requirements – you will find them on the programme page.
Sources: European Commission – Study in Europe (education.ec.europa.eu/study-in-europe), Eurostat, official national study and residence portals and authorities, Eurodesk, enic-naric.net, studentnews.eu. As of September 2026.
EN 
CS
DE
ES
FR
HU
IT
PL
PT
РУ
SK
TR
УК
AR
中文