More and more Irish students, faced with the points mountain at home, have become aware of the opportunities to study health sciences, through English, in Continental Europe and are going to Italy, Poland, Spain and elsewhere to qualify in their chosen profession with qualifications recognised in Ireland. Importantly, Leaving Cert points are largely irrelevant in securing places on these programmes.

So, if you want to be a doctor, a dentist or a vet come to this event and discover your options, including entry requirements, costs and accommodation.

Some of the universities, which represent the top choices of Irish students who have already travelled to study, will be making presentations and are available to meet. It is quite likely that, well before the stressful months of the Leaving Cert endgame, you will have secured a place at one of these universities.

Remember, high Leaving Cert points are a poor predictor of success as a Doctor or a Vet! here 

Register for this free event here

U. Pavia

Applications Open in the Netherlands on 1st October

Applications open this weekend for students looking to join undergraduate programmes in Dutch universities for the 2024/25 academic year.

For almost all programmes,, you have the same chance of getting a place, if you apply of first day of applications period or last day. It is a long application period so for those Leaving Certificate and A-Level students panicking about submitting their application on time, deadlines are fairly distant.

For those programmes with a selection procedure (only some 10% of programmes), applications close on 15th January. For most other programmes in the Research Universities, the deadline is 1st May and, in the Universities of Applied Sciences the deadline is 1st August,

There are a few exceptions to the deadlines, some earlier and some later, You should check for these on the relevant programme profile.

When students first apply, they will need a copy of their passport (which must be current so if it isn't, apply now to get it renewed. As the application processes, there will other documents that you need to provide. EUNICAS details these in the step-by-step Application Guidelines you will receive, when you submit your Pre-Application Form. We will also advise you on the number of courses you can apply to, whether you meet the entry requirements and other important considerations.

There is still time to apply to the following programmes, for entry Sep/Oct 2023 (with application deadlines in brackets). Fees vary

Biosciences

U. Camerino ITA (05 Nov)

JKU Linz AUS (05 Sep)

Dentistry

U. Siena ITA (29 Sep)

MU Wroclaw POL (08 Sep)

Humanities/Classics

U. Rome La Sapienza ITA  (28 Oct)

International Studies/Global Humanities

U. Rome La Sapienza ITA  (31 Oct)

Medicine

U. Bologna ITA (29 Sep)

U. Milan ITA (29 Sep)

U. Padua ITA (29 Sep)

U. Pavia ITA (29 Sep)

(nine other public universities in Italy)

MU Wroclaw POL (08 Sep)

NCU Bydgoszcz POL (08 Sep)

Pharmacy

U. Rome ‘Tor Vergata’ (04 Sep)

Physiotherapy

U. St Camillus ITA (02 Oct)

Vincent Pol U POL (15 Sep)

Psychology

U. Nicosia CYP (01 Sep)

Politics

U. Milan ITA (05 Sep)

Radiology/Radiotherapy

U. St Camillus ITA (02 Oct)

Veterinary Medicine

Wroclaw UELS POL (17 Sep)

There are also some programmes in Austria, Finland, Germany & Netherlands that have a second alternative start date, in February.(in addition to entry in September). Check with EUNIICAS if there is a programme available in an area of interest to you.

-One of the differences between studying Engineering in Ireland and in mainland Europe is that, at home, we often have the opportunity to do a Common Engineering first year, before specialising in a particular area of Engineering from second year. This is not generally available in Europe. However, at the impressive Hanze University of Applied Sciences in Groningen there is a structure that is half-way there.

For example, you can opt for a broad first year in their Electronics programme, then choose your specialization: Mechatronics, Sensor Technology, Electronics or Mechanical Engineering. Note also that, after a successful first year in a University of Applied Sciences (UAS), students can transfer to Engineering degrees in other areas at Research Universities.

Remember though that the Research Universities are much more text-book based than the highly practical UAS. Hanze UAS offers lots of hours in labs, workshops, visiting companies and building sites. It also has a Makerspace where you can access 3D printers, metal-working and wood-working machinery etc, at all times of the day (and free to use for everyone!). There are also two engineering internships as part of the Hanze programme. Often the company in which you did one of your internships becomes your employer, after your graduate. The engineering programmes at Hanze have a very good graduate employment rate.


Students design their own racing car and enter it for competitions

So, if you want to study on one of the top Engineering programmes in Europe, a programme that is very-hands on and practical, studying in a city which boast a high number of Irish students, in a country with a reputation for high quality and creative engineering, Hanze is the place for you!

(and, remember, your Leaving Cert points are irrelevant!)

See programmes here: https://www.hanze.nl/en/programmes?facet_level=bachelor&facet_fieldsofinterest=70f9d0fb-1668-4e82-9066-18a7081798b6&facet_languages=en

In the Netherlands, and other northern European countries, the universities are broken down into the more text-book based Research Universities (most of which are higher-ranked than our own universities) and the more hands-on and employment focused Universities of Applied Sciences (UAS). The application deadline has passed for most (but not all) of the programmes at Research universities whereas a lot of the programmes in the UAS are still open. A selection includes:

- Animal Husbandry (Van Hall Larenstein UAS)
- Animal Science (U. Wageningen)
- Arts & Culture (Radboud U)
- Arts. Media & Society (Leiden U.)
- Creative Business (NHL Stenden UAS)
- Environmental Sciences (Avans UAS)
- European Studies (NHL Stenden UAS)
- International Business (Radboud U)
- International Business (Avans UAS)
- International Hotel Management (NHL Stenden UAS)
- International Studies (Leiden U)
- Liberal Arts & Sciences (U. Tilburg)
- Liberal Arts & Sciences. Start Feb 2024 (U. Maastricht)
- Medical Imaging & Radiation Therapy (Fontys UAS)
- Physiotherapy (Fontys UAS)
- Software Engineering (Fontys UAS)
- Urban Studies (Leiden U)

In Poland, there is a growing range of programmes, beyond the well=known Health Sciences programmes, including:

- Aerospace Engineering (Warsaw UT)
- Architecture (U. Warsaw)
- Biomedical Engineering (Lodz UT)
- Dentistry (MU Lodz)
- Dentistry (MU Wroclaw)
- Earth Sciences (Jagiellonian U.)
- Medicine (MU Lodz)
- Medicine (MU Warsaw)
- Medicine (MU Wroclaw)
- Psychology (U. Warsaw)
- Veterinary Medicine (Wroclaw UELS)

There are increasing numbers of English-taught programmes in Italy, in addition to the popular Health Science programmes. Programmes include:

- Architecture (Poli Milano)
- Architecture (Poli Torino)
- Artificial Intelligence (U. Milano)
- Biosciences (U. Camerino)
- Business & Economics (U. Bologna)
- Dentistry (U. Siena)
- Earth & Climate Dynamics (U. Padua)
- International Relations (U. Bologna)
- Medicine (at 13 public universities)
- Nursing (U. Roma La Sapienza)
- Nursing (U. Campania)
- Pharmacy (U. Bologna)
- Politics (U. Milano)

This is just a selection of programmes, from three countries, that are still open for applications. There are other programmes in these countries, as well as in other countries across Europe.