Information for Canadian Applicants
The following information will help you prepare to apply to UCD - everything from starting an application to financial aid to registration and beyond will be covered on this page. If you have any questions once you've looked through everything, feel free to contact the representative for your region!
Welcome to University College Dublin, Ireland’s global university, and most popular destination for international students. UCD is home to over 34,000 students, 25% of whom hail from outside of Ireland. Ranked in the top 1% of higher education institutes worldwide, and located in one of the safest and most welcoming cities in the world, UCD’s main campus offers state-of-the-art learning and living facilities, near to the bustling city centre and Ireland’s major business hubs.
Filling Out Your UCD Application
Applications can be submitted via the Common App or directly to UCD - there is no preference for one application method. Applications made to UCD are online and you can upload your documents directly to our system as well as pay the €50 application fee online once complete.
It is important to note that in the UCD application system students are able to apply to multiple academic programs of their choice. Please note that each different course (major) must be applied to separately and that you can apply to up to four courses. Liberal Arts and Sciences may be one of your choices here, which provides an opportunity to explore before finding your best degree fit. It is possible for you to receive offers of admission to multiple programs!
The following materials are accepted but not required for all programme applications at UCD:
- Personal/Academic statement
- Open topic, capped at 300 words
- Up-to-date official high school transcript
- Copies of transcripts will suffice for assessment purposes
- Original transcripts must be provided to Admissions and verified prior to registration
- Two letters of recommendation
- Guidance Counsellor recommendation
- Academic Recommendation
- International Baccalaureate (IB) Diplomas are welcomed
- Minimum score of 24 is required across the degrees with many programs being more competitive
- Students should request a Predicted IB Score from their counselor/teacher for application purposes
- IB Certificates are not accepted at this time
- See our IB Entry Requirements Page for more information
- Standardized test scores (the following are not required but may be considered):
- College Board SAT & AP
- UCD College Board DI Code: 6675
- ACT scores
- ACT College Code: 5512
- College Board SAT & AP
*Please note that professional programmes may require additional documentation and interviews.
Transcripts and Recommendations
Physical transcripts and letters of recommendation are not recommended, but if required can be sent to our International Admissions Department at the following address:
University College Dublin
12 E. 49th Street, 11th Floor
New York, NY 10017
Admissions Time Frame
The Admissions team will assess your credentials and contact you promptly with a decision once all materials are received. Applications are processed on a rolling basis with an average 4-6 week return decision.
- Applications open: October 1 (Common App opens mid-September)
- Application priority deadline: December 1
- Absolute deadline: July 1
Please note that students awaiting results of high school examinations may apply and could be made a 'conditional offer', requiring that you maintain academic performance similar to that which was presented in your application.
Please note that the timeline for professional programmes may differ from the timeline above.
A Note on Professional Programmes
UCD School of Medicine & Medical Science and UCD School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Population Science (Physiotherapy BSc) only consider applications submitted via authorised educational agents. For more information please contact our North American agent, The Atlantic Bridge Program.
If you are applying to the Veterinary Medicine program, please contact the Veterinary Medicine program office directly at vetprogrammes@ucd.ie for advice on application procedures and entry requirements.
A Note on Language Requirements
- Canadian students are not required to meet the Other Language or the Irish Language requirement. Exceptions include the following academic programmes, which require evidence of advanced French language proficiency:
- BCL/Maîtrise
- Law with French Law
- Commerce International: French language combination, if selected
Tuition fees
Tuition fees are based on the course of studies chosen. Tuition and fees are published yearly and can be found on the UCD Fees and Grants website.
*Note that all fees are charged in Euros - check current exchange rates to get accurate conversions to other currencies
Eligibility for Irish or EU Fees
EU fees are based on EU citizenship and EU residency and income tax status
- Parents must be working full-time in the EU for 3 of the 5 years before you apply to UCD to be eligible for EU Fees
- If students have questions about their status, please check the Fees Office website for clarification, as the international office is not involved in this assessment, nor able to make comment on individual cases.
- Students who are ultimately assessed by the UCD Fees Office and confirmed as EU/Irish will be classified as such for fees as well as application process and timeline.
- To be most fair to all students in the EU or Irish intake, the admissions process and timeline for students classified as EU or Irish for fees purposes is divergent from the process outlined on the UCD International webpage for students classified as Non-EU.
On-campus Housing Fees
North American students may expect:
- Modern fully furnished bedrooms in apartment style residences
- “Catered” or independent meal choice
The fees for rooms on campus range depending on the residence students choose to live in. Further information regarding the types of residences, including virtual tours, may be found on the UCD Residences website.
Scholarships
UCD offers many merit based scholarships for Canadian students studying full degrees. For a full listing of international scholarship and funding opportunities is available on our International Scholarships and Funding pages.
Please note: Applications for the Global Excellence Undergraduate Scholarship are due by February 1 of the year of entry. To apply for this scholarship, students must already have an offer to study at UCD; therefore, applicants are required to submit their completed application to the university no later than December 1 for full scholarship eligibility.
For further information please contact:
North America Global Center
Tel: +1 646 690 9024
Twitter: @UCD_NAmerica
Email: NorthAmerica@ucd.ie
[NOTE: All scholarship and funding schemes are subject to availability of funds, and details given here are subject to change at any time. Potential applicants are urged to check information regularly to ensure they are aware of current procedures, deadlines etc.]
Canadian Student Loan Program
Students of UCD who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents may be eligible for loans funded by the Government of Canada under the Canadian Student Loan Program. See detailed information at our Scholarships & Loans page.
UCD offers exceptional, high quality on-campus accommodation to international students. On-campus living means single rooms in apartment style suites, with a variety of living options all right on campus!
UCD seeks to guarantee on-campus accommodation for all first-year undergraduate international students, and accommodation is also available for graduate students on a limited basis. Our Residences website with information on accommodation types and availabilities can be found at http://www.ucd.ie/residences/
Accommodation booking happens online in early summer. After accepting their offer, students should check the email used when applying to UCD often, as we will be sending important information to that email.
Virtual tours of all residences can be seen online here.
*Please email all questions about accommodation booking to internationalaccommodation@ucd.ie
Many postgraduate students and some undergraduate students choose to live off-campus during their time at UCD. We suggest starting your search by visiting http://www.ucdaccommodationpad.ie/Home (more details here). UCD also advertises these websites as good for off-campus housing search:
www.daft.ie
www.independent.ie
www.let.ie
www.myhome2let.ie
www.letbynet.com
More found here.
Areas close to campus to search:
DUBLIN 4: Ballsbridge, Donnybrook, Sandymount
DUBLIN 6: Ranelagh, Rathgar, Rathmines
DUBLIN 14: Clonskeagh, Dundrum, Goatstown
DUBLIN COUNTY: Blackrock, Booterstown, Mount Merrion, Stillorgan, Dun Laoghaire
Academic Entry Requirements
For guidance on entry requirements, you may view our Entry Requirements page.
Please be advised that the information provided is provided as guidance and indicative only. Please note, that the equivalences shown aare the minimum required to be eligible for consideration on a competitive basis.
If your secondary education was conducted primarily in English, the English language testing requirements will be waived automatically.
Congratulations, you have accepted your offer to Ireland’s largest and most global university! Please use the information available on the Accepted Students page here.
Upon graduation, students must submit an official copy of their final high school transcripts. The transcripts can be sent:
Via email to northamerica@ucd.ie directly from a guidance counselor or university
Via mail to:
University College Dublin
Attn: Patrick Smith
12 E. 49th St.
11th Floor
New York, NY 10017
If students have a condition of receiving specific AP exam scores, please make sure to send a copy of your test scores to UCD when they become available. Our College Board AP exam code is 6675.
You're sure to have a lot of questions about what the student experience is like at UCD. If you'd like to connect with a current Canadian student studying at UCD, please reach out to northamerica@ucd.ie