Introduction to National College of Ireland

National College of Ireland is Established in 1951, NCI has always had a sole focus on providing skilled leaders to meet the current and future demands of the industry partners. Today, the campus without walls, NCI students have unique opportunities to study near, meet with and work for some of the worlds biggest and best companies.

Why choose National College of Ireland?

National College of Ireland (NCI) offers programmes that are internationally recognised and industry focused. To ensure our students have the very best opportunities, we offer world class supports and services throughout the time here.

NCI recognises the importance of preparing students for their future career. All of NCI’s programmes have been designed in partnership with industry to meet their current and future workforce requirements - making NCI graduates highly desired

Why Study with National College of Ireland?

1. We Are Global: NCI is an inclusive and diverse College with over 6000 students across its campuses. International students play a huge part at NCI and student population hails from over 80 countries.
2. International Engagement Award: NCI has been recognised within the education industry and has won first place in the Education Awards in the year 2021 and 2023.
3. Accredited Programmes and Leading Departments: National College of Ireland offers a variety of courses in business, computing, education and psychology, ranging in level from degree and postgraduate level. National College of Ireland adheres to the highest standards for the development of its courses. The college works with relevant awarding bodies to ensure our courses achieve appropriate recognition within industry. (QQI, CIPD, ICM, ACCA, NQAI)
4. Unmatched Student Support: At NCI, one can safely say that the level of career support that the college provide for international students is second to none. NCI has a team of senior recruitment experts and guidance professionals that are experienced in providing tactical, customised, comprehensive career development and personal branding advice and guidance to international students.
5. One of the Best Student Cities: National College of Ireland is located in the heart of Dublin's city centre. National College of Ireland's campus is based at Mayor Square and Spencer Dock, conveniently located just 300m (or a 3-minute walk) from each other. The college is fully serviced by all forms of public transport.
6. Internship: Some NCI programmes have work placement as a specific part of their programme. Work Placement Officers based in the School and Careers will assist students in securing placement. International students on a stamp 2 student visa looking to do an internship during their studies must make sure they follow the rules and regulations of their visa.
7. Accommodation: NCI does not own or manage a student residence, so the students are responsible for finding their own accommodation in Dublin. As NCI is based in the heart of Dublin, there are many student accommodation residences within walking distance of the college.

Study opportunities & Intakes at NCI

Providing students flexibility in terms of study, NCI offers two core intakes in September and January. Most Undergraduate and Postgraduate programmes are available as a September start with the addition of key Postgraduate programmes also being offered as a January start. NCI believes in hands-on experience to help students build their CV, work towards their dream career and to stand out in a competitive jobs market.

General Admission Requirements at NCI

All international students need to meet both the academic entry requirements and the English language requirements. Whilst the college provides general entry guidelines, actual requirements may vary depending on your chosen level and course of study and certain courses may have specific or additional entry requirements. Full details of entry requirements can be found under the Entry Requirements tab on course pages.

1. Undergraduate - HSC XII (all State boards): Overall average of 70% or above*
2. Postgraduate - Bachelor dree from a recognised institution with an award of 2.2 or higher*
3. International Foundation course - Entry requirements vary but normally ask for between 60% and 65%*

English Language Requirements

Students whose first language is not English are required to have an appropriate score in an approved examination in English language before they can register on a programme at NCI.

International applicants should have a minimum overall

1. IELTS (Academic) score of 6.0 with 5.5 in each component*.
2. Duolingo Test of English score of 105 with 95 in each component*.
3. TOEFL Internet Based score of 60 with 46 in each component*.
4. PTE Academic score of 50 with 42 in each component*.

Details of acceptable tests and the required grades can be found here

Tuition Fees, Funding and Scholarships at NCI

Tuition Fees:

Tuition fees cover the cost of the study and include charges for registration, tuition, supervision and examinations. NCI have fixed tuition fees for new international students joining multi-year programmes. 10,000 for Undergraduate and 15,000 for Post graduate*.

For the latest fee information, please click here

Funding and Scholarships:

National College of Ireland has an extensive scholarship and bursary portfolio for international students which aims to reward excellence and promote diversity among the student. All students who receive an offer to study a Masters course at NCI are automatically assessed for these scholarships based upon their previous academic performance. There is no requirement for you to submit a scholarship application form for these scholarships. NCI recommend that a single student will need a minimum of 12,000 (€1000 per month) to cover basic living expenses*.

• Undergraduate Academic Scholarship - €2,000*
• Postgraduate Academic Scholarship - €2,000 - 4,000*
• AI for Business & Entrepreneurship Scholarship - €5,000*

For the latest scholarship information , please click here