Irish and EU applicants – School Leaver
To be eligible for consideration for an Irish or EU School Leaver place, you must:
- Meet the minimum entry (matriculation) and specific subject requirements.
- Achieve the minimum Irish Leaving Certificate (ILC) points or equivalent.
Access and scholarships
Minimum academic entry requirements
All students who qualify for EU admissions are eligible to apply. The local high school examinations that they have taken will be used to assess competitiveness for admission. European examinations will be converted into the equivalent Irish Leaving Certificate (ILC) points.
The applicant with the highest points score receives the first offer, the second highest receives the second offer and so on until all EU seats are filled. The allocation of School Leaver places is purely based on points.
As a guide, the 2024 Irish Leaving Certificate points score required for admission to the MPharm programme was 589* (random selection).
The points conversions for European examinations are shown below. (These points equivalency calculations serve as a guide only. The onus is on the applicant to check entry criteria for the programmes for which they are applying. Eligibility criteria can change from year to year.)
Applicants completing school leaving examinations other than the Irish Leaving Certificate may be required to submit additional documentation as part of their application, or be subject to minimum English language requirements. The below document 'Guideline Entry Requirements for EU/EFTA/UK applicants other than the Leaving Certificate' outlines this in further detail.
If you have additional questions about the application process, please refer to the Application FAQs section.
*If the minimum points requirement has an asterisk (*), this indicates that all applicants with a score greater than that score (e.g. 590 and higher) were offered a place. In 2024, all applicants who achieved a combined score of exactly 589 were not guaranteed an offer however and random selection was applied instead.
Non-EU applicants – School Leaver
The School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences receives applications from Non-EU students who have studied in many different countries and undertaken many different high school systems.
If you are unsure whether you are an EU or Non-EU applicant, please consult the EU vs. Non-EU policy for guidance. You can also contact the RCSI Admissions Office directly to verify your fees status, however, this must be done well in advance of the closing date.
The list below contains the most frequent academic programmes with which Non-EU students apply for the Pharmacy course. If your educational programme is not covered on this list, please email the RCSI Admissions Office directly for further information.
Please note: The entry requirements outlined below are relevant for those applying for entry in September 2025 only. These entry requirements are subject to annual review and applicants for 2026 onwards should ensure to check the most up-to-date requirements prior to commencing their application.
Minimum academic entry requirements
Non-EU applicants - Graduate Entry
The Graduate Entry Pharmacy programme is designed for students who hold (or expect to hold by July prior to entry) a competitive GPA* or a minimum of a second class honours from a four-year undergraduate bachelor degree, preferably in a science-related field. If your degree is not in a science-related field, you will be expected to meet the science requirements from your high school exit examinations (please see school leaver entry requirements above).
If you are unsure whether you are an EU or Non-EU applicant, please consult the EU vs. Non-EU policy for guidance. You can also contact the RCSI Admissions Office directly to verify your fees status, however, this must be done well in advance of the closing date.
*RCSI does not specify minimum GPA requirements for international applicants as GPAs are measured on different scales and scores may vary from one country to the next.
The Admissions Committee review all transcripts on an individual basis to determine eligibility and level of competitiveness for entry to the Graduate Entry Pharmacy programme.
Please note
The following information is relevant to all Pharmacy applicants.
Minimum English language requirements
IELTS
Teaching in RCSI is through the medium of English. As a consequence, all applicants are required to demonstrate a high level of English language competence. Applicants whose first language is not English must present a minimum overall average IELTS score of 6.5 with no individual band (reading, writing, listening and speaking) lower than 6.0. IELTS Certificates must be less than two years old at the time of admission. Equivalent scores in TOEFL are also acceptable.
Applicants presenting programmes that are delivered entirely through English (e.g. International Baccalaureate or A Levels) are not required to supply an IELTS certificate as part of their initial application. Please note that applicants presenting A Levels must hold a GCSE English grade 4 / C or above to meet RCSI's English language requirement.
Good Standing
Applicants who have been previously discontinued from any academic institution are deemed not to be in 'good standing' and are ineligible to apply to RCSI.
Fitness to Practice
Students will be subject to the University's Fitness to Practice policy, full details of which can be found in our policies section.
Minimum age requirement
For 2025 entry, Non-EU applicants must normally have attained the age of 18 years by 1 December following entry to RCSI.
Student vetting
Police clearance or 'Garda vetting', as it is known in Ireland, is required for all students who will be in contact with children and/or vulnerable adults during the course of their studies. All students on primary healthcare qualification programmes will be required to complete Garda Vetting in advance of their clinical placements. The Registry team at RCSI will contact registered students with instructions on how to complete the process at the appropriate time. The process will require students to complete a form outlining all of the permanent addresses that they have lived in from birth.
Additionally, any student joining the Pharmacy programme whose normal place of residence is not Ireland will be required to provide a Police Clearance Certificate from their country of origin in order to complete the registration requirements for the programme. Those holding an offer to join the programme will be contacted directly in relation to this process.
Transfers from other Pharmacy schools
RCSI has a 'no transfer' policy, more details of which can be found in our policies section.
Health screening
All RCSI Undergraduate programmes are delivered (in part) in clinical settings and exposure to infection is a risk. As part of the University's overall approach to minimising the risks associated with blood-borne viruses all students must complete a blood-borne virus risk assessment. This is coordinated through the University Health Facility during the first year of attendance. All students admitted to the Pharmacy programme must consent to immunisation at the RCSI Travel Health Centre at the Mercer's Medical Centre.
Applications from students with disabilities
RCSI welcomes applications from students with disabilities. However, it is strongly advised that applicants disclose their disability on their application and contact the RCSI Admissions Office to discuss any appropriate supports/reasonable accommodations. Applicants may also be required to provide relevant information which will be treated in the strictest of confidence.
International students are encouraged to contact the Learning Access Team in advance of accepting your place in the RCSI so we can advise you of the types of supports and reasonable accommodations which may be available to you. However, please be advised that supports you may have received in your home institution may differ from those provided here in the RCSI.
Evidence of your disability is also required to register with the Learning Access Service. Please note that the evidence of disability must be provided in English, and if not originally in English must be translated by a professional translator.
