Ireland is a good location for higher education and for career opportunities. Throughout the last decade, Irish colleges have been promoting their programmes more actively internationally and have been working closely with the International Education Board Ireland (IEBI) and Enterprise Ireland (the Irish Trade and Technology Board) on student recruitment drives aimed both at recruiting undergraduate and postgraduate students, as well as post-graduate researchers. In line with the increasing number of international students choosing Ireland as the destination for their studies, institutions are providing more and more opportunities for international postgraduate students to benefit from their world-class expertise and education.
The Application Form should be submitted along with ALL supporting documentation. Original documents are required and must be in ENGLISH or accompanied by a notarised translation of same. All documents must be clearly legible. The Visa Officer will need to easily identify what they are and to whom they refer.
In the application students will be asked to supply the following information:
You must show you have sufficient funds to support your stay in Ireland without recourse to public funds, or the reliance on casual employment.
Tuition fees vary depending on the institution and the study program. An example of tution fees for undergraduate & postgraduate, non-E.U. students at a third level institution are as follows:
Living expenses will differ depending upon the location of the institution, the type of accommodation preferred and on the personal expenditure of the student. On an average we estimate that a student will spend between €7500 and €12,000 per year depending on location and lifestyle.
There are many opportunities for international students to work in Ireland both during and after their studies. The opportunities available include part time or holiday work.
A small number of scholarships for overseas students are available from the universities and colleges. These are awarded solely at the discretion of the individual institutions who set down their own criteria for eligibility. Students are advised to contact the institution of their choice directly, to obtain information.
The culture of Ireland refers to the idiosyncratic cultural norms of Ireland and the Irish people. The culture of the people living in the island of Ireland is far from monolithic, due to various plantations down through the centuries. Notable cultural divides exist between urban Irish and rural Irish, between the Catholic and Protestant people of Northern Ireland, between the Irish-speaking people inside and outside the Gaeltacht regions and the English-speaking majority population, increasingly between new immigrants and the native population, and most strikingly, the traveller population and the settled population throughout the island. Halloween is a traditional and much celebrated holiday in Ireland on the night of Oct 31. The primary religion in the Republic of Ireland is Christianity. Irish Christianity is dominated by the Roman Catholic Church. Historically, prior to the arrival of Christianity, Celtic polytheism was the dominant religion of the nation. Pub culture, as it is termed, pervades Irish society, across all cultural divides. The term refers to the Irish habit of frequenting public houses (pubs) or bars. Sport in Ireland is popular and widespread. Throughout the country, a wide variety of sports are played, the most popular being Gaelic football, hurling, rugby union, soccer and hockey. Gaelic football is the most popular sport in Ireland in terms of match attendance and community involvement, and represents 34% of total sports attendances at events in Ireland and abroad, followed by hurling at 23%, soccer at 16% and rugby at 8% and the All-Ireland Football Final is the most watched event in Ireland's sporting calendar. Swimming, golf, aerobics, soccer, cycling, Gaelic football and billiards/snooker are the sporting activities with the highest levels of playing participation. Soccer is the most popular sport involving national teams.
Ireland enjoys a temperate maritime climate, due mainly to its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean and the presence of the Gulf Stream. Known as the Emerald Isle, Ireland is so green because it receives a lot of precipitation. Typical winter weather in Ireland is clouds and rain with the occasional sunny spell. The mountains may have snow on them for many weeks in winter, but falls on the lower ground on only a few days a year, and is generally not a feature of the Irish climate. Overnight temperatures often drop below freezing point, and ice and frosts are common. Typically, summers in Ireland have warm, sunny weather and a sky dotted with gentle fluffy clouds. Light rain occasionally occurs on days like these, but summer rain is usually restricted to a few wet days. In July and August, the conditions can become very humid and thunder storms can occur with lightning. Ireland, an area close to the coast rarely has a large difference between summer and winter conditions. With an average 10ºC difference between January and July the weather is much more consistent. In terms of temperature, it is again the south that enjoys the warmest weather. While the north coast is cooler than the south, the coolest areas are the inland areas which are away from the warm waters of the ocean.