24th June 2026
I Didn’t Get a Good Enough HPAT Score. What Should I Do?
After spending months working through HPAT guides, completing practise exams and labouring over difficult drills it can be devastating when HPAT results day arrives, and you realise that you have not achieved a good enough HPAT score to get into medicine. It is completely understandable that to feel extremely disappointed, but it is very important that you have a clear idea of the other option ...
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17th June 2026
HPAT Results: What to Do With Your CAO
HPAT results are usually released in late June, and after months of waiting, it can feel quite overwhelming to finally receive them! After all the hard work and preparation for HPAT, everyone wants to get a great HPAT score. However, it is important to know what to do if things don’t go as well as you had hoped. It’s not the end of the world and if you want to be a doctor you ...
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9th June 2026
Medicine, the HPAT and the CAO: One BIG Mistake to Avoid
For any Leaving Certificate students hoping to go on to study medicine, the HPAT (Health Professions Admission Test) and the CAO (Central Applications Office) are two well-known abbreviations that are of great importance as you prepare for life after the Leaving Certificate. I wasn't certain until the very end of 6th year about what exactly I wanted to do after school. Honestly, it wasn ...
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27th May 2026
5 Tips for Leaving Cert Exams From a Current Medical Student
So the dreaded time of the Leaving Cert exams has rolled around once again and I'm sure many of you are trembling in your seats at the mere mention of it. But trust me when I say that I can completely relate with you. This time last year I was in your position, getting ready to sit the Leaving Cert, my head flooded with feelings of excitement and anxiety for what lay ahead. I know that f ...
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11th May 2026
9 Factors to Consider When Choosing a Medical School
There are 6 universities in the Republic of Ireland which offer undergraduate medicine: University of Galway, University of Limerick, Royal College of Surgeons Ireland (RCSI), Trinity College Dublin (TCD), University College Dublin (UCD), and University College Cork (UCC). It may seem difficult to decide which university is right for you and students often end up making their choice purely ...
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11th May 2026
How to Apply for Medicine in the UK as an Irish Student
UK medical schools have an excellent reputation internationally and many Irish students travel to the UK to study each year. Applications to UK universities are made through UCAS (like the UK version of the CAO). Irish students applying to study medicine in the UK in 2027 can start their UCAS application over the summer before 6th year (applications open on 12 May 2026). They must submit th ...
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24th April 2026
So You Want to Be a Doctor? How to Get Into Medicine
Congratulations on your decision to pursue medicine as a career! Medicine is one of the most respected and rewarding professions you can choose. The process of getting into medicine can be confusing, so here's a straightforward introduction to help you get started. Criteria for getting into medicine The minimum points required to get into medicine varied from year to year and b ...
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16th April 2026
Prerequisites for Studying Medicine in Ireland
The six universities that offer medicine all have a minimum requirement of 480 points from the same sitting of the Leaving Certificate or equivalent. They also have minimum subject requirements, so it is essential to consider this when deciding which Leaving Certificate subjects to choose. Some medicine courses are five years long and some are six. The 6-year courses have a pre-med ...
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17th March 2026
Is Medicine for Me? 5 Tips on How To Make the Big Decision
Trying to decide whether medicine is for you? Personally, it took me months, along with lots of research and thought, to finally make that decision. Compared to most Bachelor’s degrees, which are usually three years in duration, courses in medicine take much longer – about five years to complete. Then there is postgraduate study and specialist training. You could be looking at ma ...
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10th November 2025
Alternative Admissions Schemes for School Leavers: HEAR and DARE
Applying for a place in medicine is difficult enough for most students. If you have a disability or are from a low socioeconomic background, it can make the process even more challenging. For this reason, alternative admissions schemes are available which help students who might otherwise not have the opportunity to study. Examples of these third level alternative schemes are DARE (Disa ...
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