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Entry Requirements for Level 8 Courses in Ireland

Level 8 courses in Ireland refer to honours bachelor's degree programs offered by universities and institutes of technology. Admission is primarily based on the Irish Leaving Certificate, though alternative qualifications (e.g., A-Levels, QQI-FET) are also considered.

General Minimum Entry Requirements

Most universities require a minimum of six subjects in the Leaving Certificate, including:

• English
• Mathematics (Higher Level may be required for some courses)
• Irish (unless officially exempt)
• A third language (required for certain universities and courses)

Science and Third Language Requirements

• Sciences: Many science-related courses (e.g., Medicine, Engineering, Biomedical Science, Agriculture, Veterinary Science) require at least one or two science subjects at a higher level. Recognized science subjects generally include:
  • Biology
  • Chemistry
  • Physics
  • Agricultural Science (accepted as a science subject for many courses)
  • Applied Mathematics (sometimes accepted, depending on the course)
• Third Language:
  • Required for courses in Arts, Law, and Humanities at National University of Ireland (NUI) institutions (e.g., UCD, Maynooth University, NUI Galway).
  • Not required for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) courses in universities (Health Sciences such as Medicine are an exception).
  • University of Limerick (UL) and Trinity College Dublin do not require a third language for general admission, except for language-based degrees (e.g., Applied Languages, European Studies). Irish OR a Modern Foreign Language are accepted. 

Points System & Course Competitiveness

Entry is determined by the CAO points system, where the points required fluctuate annually based on demand and student performance. High-demand courses such as Medicine, Dentistry, and Law typically require 500-600+ points.

Each university may have additional subject-specific requirements, so applicants should check individual course entry guidelines to ensure eligibility.

• Do you want to keep your options open? Take a 3rd language.
• Really don’t want to take a 3rd language and are sure you are going to study Science or Engineering? Choose a different subject
• Really don’t want to take a 3rd language with Irish and English and are open to studying in Trinity, UL or an IT? Choose a different subject
• Would you be suited to the project-work in LCVP?

• UCC
• University of Galway
• UCD
• Maynooth University
• The Royal College of Surgeons
• Pontifical University, Maynooth
• Shannon College of Hotel Management

• Trinity College
• University of Limerick
• DCU
• TU Dublin
• The Technological Universities

• Definitely interested in studying Science at 3rd level? Study 2 Science subjects if possible
• Want to keep your options open but only want to study 1 Science? Choose one of Biology, Chemistry, Physics
• Want to keep your options but not interested in Biology, Chemistry, Physics? Consider Agricultural Science which is considered a Lab Science in Ireland and has project which Biology, Chemistry and Physics do not.
• Not interested at all in studying Science? Choose a different subject. If you definitely don’t like Sciences at 2nd level, you more than likely will not choose them at 3rd level in more detail.