Postgraduate fees policy

RCSI Postgraduate fees are fixed each year and are usually subject to an annual increase. The following rules regarding fees apply to all RCSI Postgraduate scholars, in both Taught and Research programmes.

You must pay fees each year until you submit your thesis or complete your course.
You are not permitted to register for the following year of your higher degree until all fees for the previous year have been paid. You are also not permitted to take the course examinations until all relevant fees are paid.
You will not be permitted to graduate until full fees have been paid.
It is your responsibility to ensure that you register on time each year prior to submission of the thesis or completion of your course. Failure to do so will lead to automatic disqualification from the programme.

Late registration

If you fail to register for your course by the latest registration date, you must pay a late registration fee of €130.

If late registration is impossible to avoid due to a late offer of a place on the programme, the late registration fee will not apply.

Additional late penalties may apply unless prior arrangements have been made in writing with the Fees Office and in liaison with the relevant course director. Any student who has not paid their fees will be considered to have withdrawn from the course, they will be de-registered and their access to RCSI facilities will be blocked.

Refund policy

The University accepts no obligation to refund any fee, or part thereof, in respect of a student who withdraws from a programme. Applications for refunds made on medical grounds should be addressed directly to the Head of School of Postgraduate Studies and will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.

If applicable, cheques for refund, can only be made payable to the student named on the RCSI account.

Students are not entitled to any refund once formally registered for a course at RCSI. Booking fees and deposits are non-refundable. A deposit is non-transferable except to another postgraduate course within RCSI in the same academic session where such a transfer has been approved by the relevant course directors and the School of Postgraduate Studies.

Leave of absence policy

The School of Postgraduate Studies will only consider applications for leave of absence and suspension of fees in the case of students who do so for illness or other personal reasons. We do not consider it in the case of student whose work is not progressing as originally planned.

If you are granted a leave of absence you will not receive any refund of fees. The fee amount paid is retained by RCSI and applied against the fee set in the subsequent year in which the student re-commences his/her course or programme.

Methods of payment

Fee payment bank giro forms are posted to all students prior to the due date for payment. Note that, for research funded postgraduates, the supervisor must complete this form including the relevant budget code. Non-receipt of a fee payment form by a student will not be accepted as an excuse for non-payment or late payment of fees.

Students making payments from outside Ireland may do so by international bank transfer to:

RCSI Fees Account, Bank of Ireland, 39 St Stephen's Green, Dublin 2, Ireland
IBAN no: IE75 BOFI 9000 8410 044074
Swift code: BOFI IE 2D

Postgraduate auxiliary charges

Postgraduate scholars, both full-time and part-time, who are registered for courses of study leading to the award of NUI degrees, including PhDs, or Diplomas/Higher Diplomas are required to pay an annual NUI fee of €45 for the first *three years of study.

Bench fees may be payable by scholars registering for postgraduate research programmes. Scholars seeking admission to a research programme, even for short-term programmes, should ascertain in advance from their prospective supervisor what fees may apply.

*Taught postgraduate courses offered by RCSI usually operate for two years, hence NUI fees will only apply for the duration of the course.

Tax

Full information on tax relief and an application form (Form IT31) are available on the Revenue Commissioners website. Eligible courses include: postgraduate NUI courses, full-time or part-time, with duration of at least one academic year.

In order to claim tax relief, students must retain the upper portion of the RCSI bank giro form which has been stamped by the bank at the time of fee payment confirming amount paid.

Thesis submission

A student is eligible to submit a thesis only when registered as a student of RCSI. A higher degree by research thesis is submitted to the School of Postgraduate Studies, RCSI, 123 St Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2.

Students must have completed the minimum* registration for their course or programme before they can submit their thesis.

October registered students should submit their thesis by the last working day in September to avoid incurring fees for the next academic year. April registered students should submit their thesis by the last working day in March to avoid incurring fees for the next academic year.

Applications for thesis extensions must be accompanied by a supporting letter from the student’s supervisor and based on medical grounds. A medical certificate for the relevant period must accompany the application.

Please address your applications to the Head of School of Postgraduate Studies, RCSI, 123 St Stephen's Green, Dublin 2. Otherwise, it will be necessary for the student to pay fees and register annually until the thesis has been submitted.

*Minimum registration means three years full-time (or equivalent part-time) for PhD; two years for MD; one year each for MCh and MSc by research.

EU and non-EU rates

Fee rates for postgraduate students are based on residency not nationality. To qualify for EU fee rates the family of a dependent student (aged under 23) must be resident as taxpayers in an EU member state.

Postgraduate students aged over 23 require evidence of tax liability in an EU member state for three of the five years prior to entering the programme. A candidate may not defer a place on an RCSI postgraduate course or programme for the purposes of changing their fee status from Non-EU to EU.

Please contact the RCSI Fees Office if you have any queries regarding the payment of fees.