The number of Irish students applying to the UK to study third level courses has increased dramatically in recent years, which some say has been attributed to the lack of student accommodation here in Ireland. Many UK universities guarantee first year students accommodation which can be a huge worry for many first year university students.
Traditionally, many Irish students opted to study in the UK as an alternative way to gain entry to ‘high points’ courses such as nursing, medicine, veterinary, physiotherapy, pharmacy, occupational therapy and many more.
Many healthcare courses in the UK are offered to students with either free or reduced tuition fees paid by the UK's department of health. In many areas, students are expected to work for a certain number of years within the local NHS to make up for the payment of their university fees, but this is not always the case, so it is important to check this in this information in advance on each university's website.
The UCAS admissions process does not focus solely on grades, but also considers related work experience / shadowing, interests and passion for the course or potential career, as well as personal circumstances when an application is being assessed. Every course in the UK has an online prospectus with a course description and all of the entry requirements to help inform the student’s application. Some UCAS courses require students to sit admissions tests or attend interviews as part of the application process.
UCAS application process changes
UCAS has recently announced changes to the application process, and is set to abolish and replace the personal statement with three specific questions; 1 ) Why do you want to study this course, 2 ) how have your qualifications and studies helped you prepare for this course or subject, 3 ) what else could you have done to prepare outside of education and why are these experiences helpful.
These changes however will not be implemented until 2026, so for students currently applying for 2025 entry, these changes to the application will not apply. Irish students currently applying still have to write a personal statement for 2025 entry, and the UCAS application will remain with this original format of including a personal statement in their application for now.
Grants
Another advantage of studying in the UK, is that it is possible to subsidise the fees with a student loan in the UK. Irish students in the UK can also avail of the SUSI grant provided they enrol in a third level undergraduate course which is greater than 2 years duration, but they would only be eligible to receive a maintenance grant. For more information on this visit the SUSI website (www.susi.ie ).
Registering and applying
The UCAS online application form requires students to register with UCAS. Check with your guidance counsellor to see if your school is set up as a ‘centre’, if so your guidance counsellor will provide you with the ‘buzzword’ and advise you on the application process. There are various sections. All of these sections do require time and detail so be careful when filling out the application. It is advisable to apply as early as possible and, where possible, attend the specific university open day. In this case, choose a university that is accessible from your local town or city, so that it is easy for you to return home if necessary.
Effective personal statements
Some Irish students apply to the UK as a contingency plan. Securing a place in the UK relieves a lot of stress, as students know they have a back up course offer before they complete the leaving cert.
Some UCAS applications involve an interview in the spring, as well as a personal statement. The personal statement is limited to 500 words, 47 lines and 4,000 characters, and it is important that the student sells themselves in the personal statement and describes in detail their passions, interests, subject matter knowledge and work experience pertaining to the course.
Everything written in the personal statement should show the student’s suitability to the course and the personal statement should contain evidence as to why you are a match for this particular course. Many students write an autobiography instead of a personal statement, and this is not what the application assessors are looking for. The personal statement needs to be carefully written and contain many concrete examples which show how, and why, the student would succeed in this course and the chosen profession that is associated with the course.
UCAS requires a reference from a teacher or guidance counsellor, so give your teacher or guidance counsellor plenty of notice when asking for a reference. This reference is limited to 500 words, 47 lines and 4,000 characters. When asking, you should provide the teacher or guidance counsellor with a list of achievements, grades, passions, interests and the reason why you want to do the course. This will help the teacher or guidance counsellor to write the reference. This reference must also contain predicted grades for the leaving cert. It is better to ask someone who knows you, such as the guidance counsellor, or a teacher who is teaching a subject related to the course.
UCAS as a contingency option
While the UCAS application does require a lot of time and effort, many students who do apply actually end up accepting their UCAS course.
I would always advise Irish students that it is better to apply for more courses, and expand your career, or university course, options so that when the leaving cert results come out, the student won’t feel stuck due to a lack of choice or options.
I would therefore highly recommend, particularly to those who are aiming to apply for ‘high points’ courses and are worried that they may not get enough points, to apply to the same course in the UK through UCAS as a contingency option.
