Ireland Universities & admissions - Intakes & deadlines

Choose the September intake if you want the widest range of courses, internships and scholarships, and the January intake if you need more preparation time. January is smaller, mostly postgraduate, with fewer participating universities. Pick based on your course and readiness.

Yes, Ireland has a January intake, sometimes called the Spring or February intake. It is smaller than the September intake, mostly covers postgraduate courses at a few participating institutions, and works as a backup if you missed September or need more time to prepare your documents.

Yes, several Irish universities offer master's programmes with January or February intakes alongside the main September intake. Deadlines vary by course, usually falling between August and November, and visa decisions are generally expected in about 8 weeks but may take longer.

Dublin City University, Technological University Dublin and National College of Ireland are among the Irish institutions offering January entry for Masters programmes in business, computing and data analytics. The January intake typically has an application window from June to November.

Ireland typically has two main intakes for international students: the Autumn intake in September and the Spring intake in January or February. September is the primary intake with the widest choice of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, while January or February is a secondary option mainly for selected postgraduate programmes.

The May intake in Ireland, also called the Summer intake, is a small entry point that only some providers offer, not nationwide. It typically includes English language foundation programmes, pathway diplomas and specialised certificates, with applications usually open between January and April and classes starting in May or June.

The deadline for the January intake in Ireland usually falls between September and December, depending on the course and university. Some courses close applications earlier, so you should confirm the exact date for your course on the official university website before you apply.

For the January intake in Ireland, universities typically ask for IELTS Academic overall 6.0 to 6.5, TOEFL 80 to 100 on the older 0-120 scale, PTE Academic of roughly 55 to 69, or Duolingo of about 105 to 130 where accepted. Requirements vary by university and course.