Options for Studying Medicine: In Ireland and Abroad

The easiest, cheapest and most direct route into medicine in Ireland is the undergraduate route, which requires you to sit HPAT. However, if you have not been able to gain entry into medicine via this route, there are other options for pursuing medicine.

Studying medicine in Ireland

Studying medicine in Ireland has many advantages, including:

• Being able to remain in Ireland / near home

• Graduating with a degree from a prestigious university (all universities in Ireland offer a high quality medical degree)

• Being able to study medicine in English, and conversing with doctors and patients on placements in English

• Being able to easily continue your medical training in Ireland upon graduation from your medical degree

• Networking with and developing relationships with Irish doctors, which will help with career progression

There are two main routes to studying medicine in Ireland: the undergraduate and graduate route:

Undergraduate route

To study undergraduate medicine in Ireland, you need to both achieve high enough points in your Leaving Cert and perform well in HPAT. There are five colleges which offer undergraduate medicine – three in Dublin (Trinity College Dublin, University College Dublin and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland), one in Cork (University College Cork) and one in Galway (Ollscoil na Gaillimhe – University of Galway).

If you do not succeed in obtaining entry into medicine on your first attempt, you can repeat your HPAT and/or your Leaving Cert. You can either do this while studying another degree, or while taking a gap year.

Graduate medicine

To study graduate medicine in Ireland, students need to achieve a minimum 2H1 award of or higher in their first level 8 undergraduate bachelor honours degree (in any discipline) and also perform well in the GAMSAT (Graduate Medical School Admissions Test). GAMSAT is a six-hour test which takes place in March and September each year. It includes an essay writing component and predominantly science-based questions. One of the parts is similar to section 1 of HPAT.

Graduate medicine is available at University College Dublin, the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, University College Cork and the University of Limerick. Fees to study graduate medicine are far higher than undergraduate medicine – with fees close to €17,000. Furthermore, you will be at college for longer and will graduate later, than if you pursue undergraduate medicine.

Studying medicine Abroad

Studying medicine abroad is a good option if you have not been successful in entering undergraduate medicine via HPAT, and you do not wish to pursue graduate entry medicine due to the length of study and cost.

Studying in the UK/Northern Ireland

Studying medicine in the UK or Northern Ireland can be a good option, which has several advantages:

• You will be able to remain relatively close to home

• Being able to study medicine in English, and conversing with doctors and patients on placements in English

Entry into undergraduate medicine in the UK and Northern Ireland is different to that in the Republic of Ireland. Most medical courses require students to succeed in:

• UCAT (University Clinical Aptitude Test): this test is different to HPAT in terms of types of questions and format. Students generally do not need to score as highly in UCAT compared to HPAT in order to be competitive for medicine

• An interview (this is very different to Ireland where no interview is required)

Students who have not succeeded in HPAT can find that they succeed in UCAT and interviews, and are able to secure an offer to study medicine in the UK.

Applications for medicine in the UK and Northern Ireland must be submitted to UCAS, which is essentially the UK version of the CAO. For more information about requirements and dates, check out our blog on How to apply for medicine in the UK as an Irish student.

Studying in Europe

It is also possible to study medicine in Europe. Most courses will be conducted in English, although patients on placements may not be able to comfortably converse in English. Some courses have lower entry requirements compared to Ireland, and similar or lower fees.

European medical courses are usually six-years in length, with the final year being an internship. The course year generally runs from September/October to July, except for universities such as Pleven University in Bulgaria, which runs from February to December.

Universities may have an entrance test which may be science based, or skills based (such as the IMAT for Italian universities). Other necessary criteria for entry may include a confirmation of studies, subject-specific requirements, a health certificate (with some also wanting proof of health insurance) and a current passport.

Courses are usually recognised by the Irish Medical Council.

The following table displays examples of places to study medicine in Europe (please note that this is not an exhaustive list):

More information on studying medicine in Europe can be found at: www.eunicas.ie

PREPARE FOR UCAT