Information for US High School Counselors
Welcome to University College Dublin, Ireland’s global university, and most popular destination for international students. UCD is home to over 30,000 students, where approximately 9,500 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.
The following information will help you prepare to assist students in attending UCD - everything from applications 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 - just click on the Global Centre link below to find the rep in your region!
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If you're interested in visiting the Emerald Isle and learning more about UCD in person, there are two excellent opportunities to travel to Ireland with other North American counselors:
UCD Counselor Tour - We have just completed another successful counselor tour in February. We are collecting interest for our Spring 2025 tour - complete this form to be notified when our application open in Fall 2024.
Education in Ireland Counselor Tour - UCD also participates in a tour hosted by Education in Ireland, the governmental organization representing all institutions of higher education in Ireland. You can submit your interest for the Spring 2025 tour by completing this form.
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. UCD is unable to accept application fee waivers in all cases.
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 will be considered as part of your application (see our Entry Requirements page for detailed testing and grade requirements):
- 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
- Standardized test scores - either ACT or SAT is accepted (no preference). UCD Superscores multiple test results:
- College Board SAT & AP
- AP scores of 2 or better will be considered positively in your application review
- UCD College Board DI Code: 6675
- ACT scores
- ACT College Code: 5512
- College Board SAT & AP
- International Baccalaureate (IB) Diplomas are welcomed
- Minimum score of 26 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 Testing Policy
Standardized tests are not required for all programmes, but will be considered if submitted. UCD encourages all applicants to apply for their programmes of choice regardless of your access to standardized testing upon applying.
Refer to our testing policy FAQs for more information.
Mature Applicants
If you are at least 23 years of age on 1 January of the year you apply to enter, you may be assessed as a mature student. Mature students may be required to provide additional items such as a personal statement, résumé/CV, letters of recommendation, or be asked to interview with programme boards, depending on the course. If you think you may qualify as a mature student, please submit your application to UCD with all available academic credentials, transcripts, and exam scores, and then reach out to NorthAmerica@ucd.ie with any questions.
Physical Transcripts
Physical transcripts 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 for Fall 2023 Entry
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 early September)
- Application priority deadline: December 1
- Final 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.
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
- US curriculum students must achieve a C grade in high school English in Grade 11 or 12 to be eligible for entry
- International applicants are exempt from the Irish Language requirement
- All students are required to meet the Other Language requirement for courses that involve the study of a language. For US curriculum applicants this means at minimum a passing grade in a Grade 11 language. This includes the study of a language in any of the following courses:
- BAU5 BA Arts Joint Honours
- BAU4 BA Humanities Modern Languages
- HSS5 Global Studies
- HSS6 European Studies
- AYS1 Languages, Linguistics & Cultures
- BSW1 Commerce International
- Some courses require evidence of advanced language study, typically with an AP language score of 3 or better. This includes:
- BAU4 BA Humanities Modern Languages - must meet advanced language score in one of chosen languages
- BSW1 Commerce International - when Spanish and German combination is selected, must meet advanced language score in one of chosen languages
- French is not taught at beginner level and all applicants seeking to study French must show advanced proficiency, typically with an AP French score of 3 or better. The following academic programmes require evidence of advanced French language proficiency:
- LWS2 BCL/Maîtrise
- LWS2 Law with French Law
- BAU5 BA Arts Joint Honours when French language combination selected
- BAU4 BA Humanities Modern Languages when French language combination selected
- BSW1 Commerce International when French language combination selected
All applications to UCD (except to the clinical programs of medicine, veterinary medicine, and physiotherapy) are under a Rolling Admissions plan. Decisions are returned within approximately 4-6 weeks from receipt of a complete application.
Please note the following dates and contact us with questions.
| Applications Open | Priority Deadline1 | Material Submission Deadline2 | Global Excellence Scholarship Application Due3 | Final Application Deadline4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 1st | December 1st | December 20th | February 1st | July 1st |
1: Applications must be submitted by the Priority Deadline to be eligible for our Global Excellence Scholarship and for consideration for all courses
2: Transcripts and any available test scores must be received by this date in order to ensure applicants will receive a decision in time to apply for the Global Excellence Scholarship.
For admissions purposes UCD will accept: academic materials submitted by the counselor/school; self-reported test scores reported via the Common App or UCD application; unofficial copies of transcripts and test scores uploaded to the UCD application. Final official transcripts and test scores sent directly from the testing agency must be received before registration in August.
3: Applicants must have an offer or conditional offer to study at UCD to be eligible to apply for the Global Excellence Scholarship
4: Applications are accepted until July 1st, though some specific courses may reach capacity and will no longer accept new applicants following the Priority Deadline
University College Dublin is subject to and abides by all applicable privacy and data protection regulations set by Ireland and the EU, including GDPR. You may find that UCD will not be able to share as much confidential student information as US universities. You can find UCD's privacy notices and information at https://www.ucd.ie/privacy/
Specifically, UCD is unable to share application status, admissions decisions, or any other personally identifying information or documents with North American secondary school counselors, teachers, or other staff.
FERPA Waivers and Letters of Recommendation
Unlike US institutions, the US educational privacy law FERPA does not apply to applicants to University College Dublin. An applicant that matriculates into UCD has the right to request their full educational record, including any letters of recommendation added to their account, regardless of the submission of a FERPA waiver.
UCD does not require or review letters of recommendation to non-clinical undergraduate programs and does not upload recommendations even if submitted through Common App, email or other methods. Students and counselors that submit confidential information or documents to their application should be aware this information will become available to the student when they start their studies at UCD.
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 tax status. UCD Global does not adjudicate EU fee status. Please note:
- If students believe they are eligible for EU Fees, they must submit the EU Fee Assessment with the Fees Office as early in the admissions process as possible.
- 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 Global webpage for students classified as Non-EU.
On-campus Housing Fees
North American students may expect:
- Modern single occupancy, fully furnished bedrooms in apartment style residences
- Self-catered accommodation
- For the 2022/23 academic year there is on-campus housing set aside for first year students (living on-campus is not required)
The fees for rooms on campus range from €6,745 to €11,591 (approximately USD$7,600-$13,000) 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 US students studying full degrees. For a full listing of international scholarship and funding opportunities is available on our Global 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
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.]
Financial Aid FAFSA Code: G10188
American citizens and permanent residents attending UCD are eligible to receive Federal Student Aid from the US Department of Education. UCD participates in the Direct Loan and PLUS loan programs, and most students are able to finance their entire education costs (including tuition, fees, room and board, transportation and books) through a combination of these programs. Private educational loans are also available. For further information on financial aid, please see the UCD International US Loans webpage.
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
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
Undergraduate Entry Requirements are listed in detail here.
Applicants may have been issued a Conditional Offer to study at University College Dublin. This means that they have been accepted and offered a place to study at UCD conditional on meeting certain specified requirements. Conditions will vary depending on the individual circumstances of each applicant and can be found in the applicants Offer Letter. Some common conditions and what they mean are:
Conditional on completion of high school - all current high school students with offers to UCD are conditional on graduating high school (this is the case for almost any university!). After graduation, offer holders should have their school send official copies of their transcript with their graduation date to NorthAmerica@ucd.ie and the conditional offer will be updated to a full offer.
Conditional on submission of final transcripts or test scores - all applicants that intend to enroll at UCD are required to have official transcripts sent from their school and official standardized test scores sent from the testing agencies directly to UCD - we cannot accept documents uploaded or emailed by the applicant. These documents should be received by early August, prior to registration.
Conditional on receipt of a specific GPA - an applicant may be required to maintain or reach a specific final GPA before receiving a full offer to UCD. Applicants should have their final official transcripts submitted to UCD by their school - if the required GPA has been reached they will receive a full offer. Note that UCD considers cumulative unweighted GPA and will recalculate weighted GPAs if necessary.
Conditional on receipt of a specific test score - this can refer to any test score (ie on receipt of a minimum score of 2 on an upcoming AP exam) or a specific score on a specific exam (ie on receipt of a minimum score of 3 on AP Calculus). Refer to the Offer Letter for specific scores required.
There can be many different kinds of conditions depending on the applicant's educational background and the course they are applying to. Each course at UCD has different entry requirements, so an applicant may have different conditions to different courses.
If applicants have any questions about the conditions of their offer please Contact Us.
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
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.