1. IRISH UPPER SECONDARY SYSTEM Presented by Ciara McKernan, Non-EU Undergraduate Admissions Coordinator, UCCwww.ucc.ie/international & ADMISSION TO UNIVERSITY IRISH UPPER SECONDARY SCHOOL SYSTEM & ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS FOR UNIVERSITY Ciara McKernan

2. IRISH UPPER SECONDARY SYSTEM Presented by Ciara McKernan, Non-EU Undergraduate Admissions Coordinator, UCCwww.ucc.ie/international & ADMISSION TO UNIVERSITY Upper secondary school system Senior Cycle Consists of a either a 2 or 3 year programme of study  3 year: Transition year + 2 year Leaving Certificate + final exam  2 year: Leaving Certificate + final exam Transition Year  Focuses on personal development  Allows students to take more responsibility for their own learning in a non-examination environment  Not compulsory

3. IRISH UPPER SECONDARY SYSTEM Presented by Ciara McKernan, Non-EU Undergraduate Admissions Coordinator, UCCwww.ucc.ie/international & ADMISSION TO UNIVERSITY Access to University & Restrictions Access to University  90% of Irish Students take the Irish Leaving Certificate  6 out of 10 Irish Students progress to third level Universities and Institutions  Some attrition from courses with low entry points Inclusive Pathways to University  Mature Students using separate quotas  HEAR Higher Education Access Route Scheme  DARE Disability Access Route to Education Restrictions  Minimum Leaving Certificate points allocated to University courses  Quotas of places are allocated to each programme Irish and EU quota / Non-EU quota / Mature / HEAR / DARE

4. IRISH UPPER SECONDARY SYSTEM Presented by Ciara McKernan, Non-EU Undergraduate Admissions Coordinator, UCCwww.ucc.ie/international & ADMISSION TO UNIVERSITY Entrance examinations Irish students present  Irish Leaving Certificate EU and Non-EU students can present  Any qualification equivalent to the Irish Leaving Certificate such as: International Baccalaureate A Levels Each University Admission Office uses tools such as UK Naric as a guide to assess equivalencies

5. IRISH UPPER SECONDARY SYSTEM Presented by Ciara McKernan, Non-EU Undergraduate Admissions Coordinator, UCCwww.ucc.ie/international & ADMISSION TO UNIVERSITY Entrance examinations Irish Leaving Certificate  90% of Irish students take Leaving Cert  52,589 students sat their Leaving Cert in 2012  Students take between 6 and 9 subjects along with Religion and P.E.  Irish, English and Mathematics must be presented  A modern European language is often studied by students  In 2012, 3 students earned 9 A1′s, 10 scored 8 A1′s, and 150 students earned 6 or more A1′s  Honours Maths worth 25 bonus points in 2012

6. IRISH UPPER SECONDARY SYSTEM Presented by Ciara McKernan, Non-EU Undergraduate Admissions Coordinator, UCCwww.ucc.ie/international & ADMISSION TO UNIVERSITY Higher level/Pass level Three levels in the Irish Leaving Certificate  Higher (Honours)  Ordinary (Pass)  Foundation Irish and Mathematics only Higher Level grade is worth 40 points more than the equivalent Ordinary Level grade  e.g. a Higher C1 = 70, an Ordinary C1= 30  No points for grade below D3 (below 40%)

7. IRISH UPPER SECONDARY SYSTEM Presented by Ciara McKernan, Non-EU Undergraduate Admissions Coordinator, UCCwww.ucc.ie/international & ADMISSION TO UNIVERSITY Application procedures Irish and EU Students:  Apply through the CAO (Central Applications Office) Non-EU students:  Apply directly to Universities for the most part. In some instances they apply through the CAO Direct applications are considered on a case by case basis

8. IRISH UPPER SECONDARY SYSTEM Presented by Ciara McKernan, Non-EU Undergraduate Admissions Coordinator, UCCwww.ucc.ie/international & ADMISSION TO UNIVERSITY Application procedures Central Applications Office (CAO)  Students make one application for several universities or institutions - in order of preference  CAO offers places to students who meet the minimum requirements for chosen course  Where there are more qualified applicants than available places on a course, places are offered to students with highest CAO points

9. IRISH UPPER SECONDARY SYSTEM Presented by Ciara McKernan, Non-EU Undergraduate Admissions Coordinator, UCCwww.ucc.ie/international & ADMISSION TO UNIVERSITY The Points System  Points based on Leaving Certificate grades  Six best subjects only are counted (600 points max)  Leaving Certificate exams cannot be combined  Points queuing system used for over-subscribed courses

10. IRISH UPPER SECONDARY SYSTEM Presented by Ciara McKernan, Non-EU Undergraduate Admissions Coordinator, UCCwww.ucc.ie/international & ADMISSION TO UNIVERSITY The Points System PercentageGradePoints 90+A1100 85 - 89A290 80 - 84B185 75 - 79B280 70 - 74B375 65 - 69C170 60 - 64C265 55 - 59C360 50 - 54D155 45 - 49D250 40 - 44D345 PercentageGradePoints 90+A160 85 - 89A250 80 - 84B145 75 - 79B240 70 - 74B335 65 - 69C130 60 - 64C225 55 - 59C320 50 - 54D115 45 - 49D210 40 - 44D35 Higher Level Ordinary Level

11. IRISH UPPER SECONDARY SYSTEM Presented by Ciara McKernan, Non-EU Undergraduate Admissions Coordinator, UCCwww.ucc.ie/international & ADMISSION TO UNIVERSITY Admission requirements and minimum entrance grades Matriculation requirements English, Irish, and 4 other subjects required Third language: Required for Arts, Human Sciences, Law, Social Science, Commerce, Medicine and Health Sciences and some other degrees. Mathematics required for Commerce Mathematics and a Science subject: Required for Sciences (i.e. Science and also Agriculture, Architecture, Engineering, Food Science and Technology, Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, Veterinary Medicine) Exemption from the Irish language requirement  Students not born in Ireland  Educated outside Ireland  Students with specific learning difficulties affecting language acquisition (dyslexia) Exemption from third language requirement  Students with specific learning difficulties affecting language acquisition (dyslexia)

12. IRISH UPPER SECONDARY SYSTEM Presented by Ciara McKernan, Non-EU Undergraduate Admissions Coordinator, UCCwww.ucc.ie/international & ADMISSION TO UNIVERSITY Examples of minimum entry requirements for UCC courses: Commerce (International) with French:  HC3 in two subjects and passes in four other subjects at H or O Level in the Leaving Certificate from Irish, English, another language, Mathematics and two other subjects recognised for entry purposes. Additional Requirement: HC1 in French Electrical & Electronic Engineering:  HC3 in two subjects and passes in four other subjects at H/O level in the Leaving Cert from Irish, English, Maths, one Lab Science subject or Technology, and two other subjects recognised for entry purposes Additional Requirements: HC3 in a Mathematics or Applied Mathematics; if the HC3 is in Applied Mathematics, a HD2 in Mathematics is also required Admission requirements and minimum entrance grades

13. IRISH UPPER SECONDARY SYSTEM Presented by Ciara McKernan, Non-EU Undergraduate Admissions Coordinator, UCCwww.ucc.ie/international & ADMISSION TO UNIVERSITY ProgrammeRound 1Round 2 CK101 Arts335330 CK106 Applied Psychology510 CK201 Commerce435430 CK302 Law and French515500 CK401 Computer Science340 CK605 Electrical and Electronic Engineering410 CK702 Dentistry590585 Admission requirements and minimum entrance grades Sample Irish Leaving Cert Points - UCC 2012

14. IRISH UPPER SECONDARY SYSTEM Presented by Ciara McKernan, Non-EU Undergraduate Admissions Coordinator, UCCwww.ucc.ie/international & ADMISSION TO UNIVERSITY Language requirements All courses available in English Recognised English Language Tests: IELTS, TOEFL, TOEIC, ETAPP and University of Cambridge English Language Requirements College of Arts, Celtic Studies and Social Sciences: IELTS 6.5 College of Business and Law: Business IELTS 6.0 and Law IELTS 6.5 College of Science, Engineering and Food Science: IELTS 6.0  For above programmes: No individual section lower than 5.5 College of Medicine and Health: IELTS 6.5 and Speech and Language Therapy: 7.0 - No individual section lower than 6.5

15. IRISH UPPER SECONDARY SYSTEM Presented by Ciara McKernan, Non-EU Undergraduate Admissions Coordinator, UCCwww.ucc.ie/international & ADMISSION TO UNIVERSITY The main challenges and difficulties facing admission officers Falling numbers  Munster declined by 7.5% while Cork & Kerry declined by 8.3%  Versus an overall national decline 2.5%

16. IRISH UPPER SECONDARY SYSTEM Presented by Ciara McKernan, Non-EU Undergraduate Admissions Coordinator, UCCwww.ucc.ie/international & ADMISSION TO UNIVERSITY Thank you