NUI Entry Requirements

Applicants must meet basic entry (matriculation) requirements to enter a degree course at a National University of Ireland (NUI) Constituent University or Recognised College. Each university can also set additional course-specific requirements.

Full details are in the NUI Matriculation Regulations booklet:

Irish Version

English Version

If you are applying to any of the below NUI institutions, please read carefully:

Maynooth University

University College Cork

University College Dublin

University of Galway

Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland University of Medicine and Health Sciences

Institute of Public Administration

National College of Art and Design

Institute of Banking

Required Subjects

To enter a degree course, you must have:

English

Irish

Four other subjects (from the Leaving Certificate, GCE/GCSE, or equivalent)

Additional subject rules:

Third language is required for most degrees in:
Arts, Human Sciences, Law, Social Science, Commerce, Medicine, and Health Sciences
(See Matriculation Regulations, Section 4.1, page 13 for exceptions)

Mathematics is required for:
Commerce and Science-related courses

A Science subject is also required for:
Science, Agriculture, Engineering, Food Science & Technology, Medicine, Dentistry, Health Sciences, and Veterinary Medicine. (Please note that some courses require a laboratory science subject, whereas some will accept a broader science subject. If you intend to present a non-laboratory science subject, please ensure this will be accepted by the admissions office of your chosen institution)

Irish Exemptions

You may be eligible for an Irish exemption if:

You were not born in Ireland

You were educated up to the age of 12 outside Ireland

You were educated for three or more continuous years, in primary and post-primary combined, outside Ireland

You have a diagnosed specific learning difficulty

You have a hearing impairment or disability that affects schoolwork

More information

Third Language Exemptions

You may be eligible for a third language exemption if:

You have a diagnosed specific learning difficulty

You have a diagnosed hearing impairment or disability that affects schoolwork

If you are eligible for the Irish exemption due to being born/educated outside Ireland, you can also choose to use Irish to satisfy the third language requirement.

To make your application:

Visit our online exemptions application portal to apply.

Exemptions Application Portal

GCE/GCSE Applicants:

See the list of accepted subjects for matriculation – List updated August 2025

GCE/GCSE Subjects recognised for matriculation

Subjects recognised for matriculation

Age Requirement

Students must be 17 years old by 15 January following entry.
Younger students must apply for special permission from the university president/director.

Important Note

Meeting minimum matriculation requirements does not guarantee admission. Many courses are competitive. Always check specific admission requirements with the university’s admissions team.

Useful contacts

Matriculation refers to the minimum requirements for entry to the University.
Before you can be considered for admission, you must meet these minimum standards.
Matriculation is separate from points. You can matriculate (meet the basic requirements) for a course, but you might not get a place if you do not have enough points.

NUI Matriculation Regulations apply to all students seeking to enter the NUI institutions below.

For holders of the Leaving Certificate, six subjects are required. The minimum standard is Grade H5 (Higher Course) in two subjects and Grade H7 (Higher Course) or O6 (Ordinary Course) in four subjects.

An applicant may combine the results of Leaving Certificate examinations obtained in different years for Matriculation purposes.

The minimum grades set out above will apply. However, this applies to Matriculation only; it does not apply to points which are awarded on the Leaving Certificate results obtained in the same year.

Also, it should be noted that students seeking to enter Medicine must achieve the minimum entry (Matriculation) requirements and minimum course entry requirements in the same sitting of the Leaving Certificate.

Students are advised to contact the Admissions Office of the Constituent University they wish to apply to for further details.

In general, you need Distinctions in five subjects in QQI Level 5 and Level 6 Awards for admission to degree courses in cognate areas.

UCC will accept four distinctions, but one must be in Communications.

It would be a good idea to check with the individual University or College.

For Basic Matriculation on Leaving Certificate results, you need six subjects. You need an H5 or higher in two of these subjects and H7 or higher in the remaining four if you sat an honours paper, or an O6 or higher if you sat an ordinary level paper.

Among the six subjects, for all programmes, English and Irish must be included. The most common additional requirements are a Third Language, Mathematics or a Laboratory Science subject.

The list below indicates where there are additional requirements, but you must check with the university to which you are applying to make sure you are aware of your course’s specific requirements, including any additional ones of which you might not be aware.

Basic Matriculation Requirements

Architecture:

Mathematics (UCC)
a Third Language and Mathematics (UCD)

Arts, Human Sciences, Law:

a Third Language

Art and Design (NCAD):

a Third Language or Art or Design Communication and Graphics

Commerce:

a Third Language and Mathematics

Computer Science:

Mathematics (Maynooth University, UCC, UCD)
Mathematics and a laboratory science subject or Technology (University of Galway)

Engineering:

Mathematics and a Laboratory Science subject (UCD);
Mathematics and a Laboratory Science subject or Technology (UCC, University of Galway);
Mathematics and a Laboratory Science subject or Applied Mathematics or Technology (Maynooth University)

Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, Veterinary Medicine:

a Third Language, Mathematics and a Laboratory Science subject

Nursing:

Mathematics and a Laboratory Science subject.

Science, Agriculture, Engineering and Architecture, Food Science and Technology:

Mathematics and a Laboratory Science subject (University of Galway, Maynooth University, UCC);
Mathematics and a Laboratory Science subject or Applied Mathematics or Geography (UCD);
Maynooth University will accept Applied Mathematics in place of an Applied Laboratory Science subject for certain BSc courses but not for Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Biotechnology, Psychology through Science or Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Chemistry

Computer Science is accepted as a Laboratory Science subject for Science.

Please note that some courses require a laboratory science subject, whereas some will accept a broader science subject. If you intend to present a non-laboratory science subject, please ensure this will be accepted by the admissions office of your chosen institution.

Social Science:

A Third Language (UCC, University of Galway and Maynooth University)
UCD Bachelor of Social Science: A third language is not required and is replaced with a requirement to present Mathematics (minimum O6/H7) for matriculation purposes.

Veterinary Nursing (UCD):

Mathematics and a Laboratory Science subject or Home Economics.

Regardless of what their first language is, candidates presenting the Irish Leaving Certificate must include English as one of their six subjects.

Candidates presenting other qualifications may satisfy the English requirement by presenting any one of the English language qualifications listed in section 7 of the Matriculation Regulations.

No.
While LCVP may be used for points purposes, it does not count as one of the six subjects acceptable for matriculation.