Higher Education in Ireland Ireland's higher education system
provides a range of options which include universities, institutes of technology
as well as various other specialized colleges, which are all referred to as
third level education institutions. The majority of students attend public
institutions but many attend a number of private schools which primarily offer
business and other professional programs. The Higher Education Authority is
the planning, development and funding body for public higher education in
Ireland. The Higher Education and Training Awards Council (HETAC) is responsible
for validating institutions of higher education outside of the university
sector. HETAC is also responsible for conferring degrees for non-university
schools, while the universities and some institutes of technology confer their
own degrees. Admission to most public
institutions for first-time students is through the Central Applications Office
rather than through individual schools. Students apply to their program of
choice and the results of Ireland's secondary school Leaving Certification
Examination are used to determine who will be admitted to which programs.
Admission to the most popular programs is very competitive. Types of Schools and
Degrees Ireland's universities offer a
broad range of degree programs and its institutes of technology focus primarily
on science, technology, business and engineering but also include programs in
other professional areas. Colleges of education and private colleges also offer
degree programs in various business and professional fields. Degrees available
are a two-year "higher certificate", three-year bachelor's degree, three to
four-year honors bachelor's degree, master's degree which takes annother one to
two years and a doctoral degree which varies in length. Degrees available vary
by the type of school.Degrees earned at Irish
institutions are equivalent to all other European degrees as determined by the
European Bologna Process of 1999 which standardized higher education degrees
across the European Union. Many other countries also consider these degrees to
be of equal value to their own. An additional system of qualifications exists in
Ireland called the National Framework of Qualifications which identifies ten
levels of learning which students and employers can use to better understand
what level of learning a student has achieved. Tuition at public universities is
free for EU citizens but Student Service Fees of up to about 1500 euros a year
are charged. International Students About nine percent of Ireland's
higher education enrollment in recent years has been made up of non-Irish
citizens. Many of these students choose to study in the capital of Dublin where
there are numerous schools including the oldest in the country – University of
Dublin, Trinity College, which was founded in 1592.International students are
eligible to attend any of Ireland's higher education schools as long as they
possess English language proficiency and have strong enough results on either
Ireland's Leaving Certification Exam or an acceptable equivalent in their home
country. The highest caliber schools require that students have already
completed two years of university level education elshewhere with a minimum 3.0
GPA. Tuition fees for non-EU
international students are high compared with other European countries. They
vary between schools but have been averaging about 10, 000 to 15, 000 euros for
many undergraduate programs with programs in medicine and engineering and
graduate studies running somewhat higher. More information can be found at
Education Ireland, which is a government sponsored website that promotes
Irish higher education to international students. About Ireland Ireland is an English-speaking
country of about 6.2 million people with about one million living near the
capital city of Dublin. Gaelic is also an official language and is taught in
schools. It has a vibrant and open economy that has seen substantial growth over
the past two decades. Ranked fifth in the world on the
United Nations Human Development Index in 2007, Ireland had the 10th highest GDP
per capital according to the same report. About 55 percent of students who
complete secondary school go on to higher education, which is a higher
percentage than most western nations. Resources
Ireland's Higher Education Authority
Education Ireland – government sponsored website to promote international
student study in Ireland
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Resources
Ireland's Higher Education Authority
Education Ireland – government sponsored website to promote international
student study in Ireland
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