Pharmacy

All RCSI Undergraduate degree programmes are covered under the Irish Government’s Free Fees Initiative.

Under the terms of the Free Fees Initiative, the Irish Exchequer will pay tuition fees on behalf of students who:

• Meet the eligibility criteria for EU applicant status, as outlined in more detail above
• Undertake a full-time undergraduate course of at least two years' duration
• Are first time, full-time undergraduate students, and
• Are not repeating the year due to failing exams or changing course (Note: This exclusion may be waived if repeating a year due to a certified serious illness).

How much do I pay under the Free Fees Initiative?

• The Free Fees Initiative covers the tuition component of your Undergraduate Pharmacy course fee
• Students covered under Free Fees are required to pay a student contribution charge*. For the 2025/26 academic year this is expected to be in the region of €3,000, but is yet to be confirmed by the Higher Education Authority (HEA). Students who qualify for the SUSI Grant are not required to pay the student contribution charge
• All students covered under Free Fees are also required to pay the balance of non-tuition costs, which are shown below
• Important note regarding Year 5 of the RCSI's Pharmacy programme: As Pharmacy is an integrated degree programme (BSc and MPharm), the fifth and final year leading to the MPharm award is not covered under the Free Fees Initiative. The cost for the fifth year for those entering the Pharmacy programme in 2025 has not yet been confirmed, but is estimated to be approximately €9,000. 

Fees for the 2024/25 academic year are listed below as a guideline:

Students who qualify for Free Fees and the SUSI Grant

Note: If you are an Irish or EU student who does not qualify for Free Fees, you are liable for EU Fees.

How much do I pay if I am a School Leaver applicant liable for EU Fees?

Fees for the 2025/26 academic year will be published in due course. Fees for the 2024/25 academic year are listed below as a guideline:

*The student contribution charge applies in all universities in Ireland and covers non-tuition costs such as library services, examinations, student support services, welfare and counselling services etc.

**The IT fee is an annual charge to cover the costs of providing significant IT support which is essential to the delivery of the Undergraduate programmes.

***RCSI has a duty of care to its students and to the patients with whom they engage. Students risk being exposed to blood-borne viruses (BBV) in the clinical setting throughout their academic programme. To minimise the risk of infection, students are required to undergo BBV screening and vaccinations in the first year of their studies. This is delivered through Mercer’s Medical Centre.  

****The Undergraduate Degrees issued by RCSI are the degrees of the National University of Ireland (NUI). This fee is a once-off registration fee with the NUI.

To qualify for Mature Entry or Pharmacy Technician status, you must be over 23 years of age on 1 January in the year of entry to the Pharmacy Programme. To be considered a Mature Entry or Pharmacy Technician student, you must also be an EU (which includes the EEA and Switzerland) applicant.

All RCSI Undergraduate degree programmes are covered under the Irish Government’s Free Fees Initiative.

Under the terms of the Free Fees Initiative, the Irish Exchequer will pay tuition fees on behalf of students who:

• Meet the eligibility criteria for EU applicant status, as outlined in more detail above
• Undertake a full-time undergraduate course of at least two years' duration
• Are first time, full-time undergraduate students, and
• Are not repeating the year due to failing exams or changing course (Note: This exclusion may be waived if repeating a year due to a certified serious illness.)

How much do I pay under the Free Fees Initiative?

• The Free Fees Initiative covers the tuition component of your Undergraduate Pharmacy course fee
• Students covered under Free Fees are required to pay a student contribution charge*. For the 2025/26 academic year this is expected to be in the region of €3,000, but is yet to be confirmed by the Higher Education Authority (HEA). Students who qualify for the SUSI Grant are not required to pay the student contribution charge
• All students covered under Free Fees are also required to pay the balance of non-tuition costs, which are shown below
• Important note regarding Year 5 of the RCSI's Pharmacy programme: as Pharmacy is an integrated degree programme (BSc and MPharm), the fifth and final year leading to the MPharm award is not covered under the Free Fees Initiative. The cost for the fifth year for those entering the Pharmacy programme in 2025 has not yet been confirmed, but is estimated to be approximately €9,000. 

Fees for the 2024/25 academic year are listed below as a guideline:

Students who qualify for Free Fees

Students who qualify for Free Fees and the SUSI Grant

Note: If you are an Irish or EU student who does not qualify for Free Fees, you are liable for EU Fees.

How much do I pay if I am a Mature Entry or Pharmacy Technician applicant liable for EU Fees?

Fees for the 2025/26 academic year will be published in due course, Fees for the 2024/25 academic year are are listed below as a guideline:

*The student contribution charge applies in all universities in Ireland and covers non-tuition costs such as library services, examinations, student support services, welfare and counselling services etc.

**The IT fee is an annual charge to cover the costs of providing significant IT support which is essential to the delivery of the Undergraduate programmes.

***RCSI has a duty of care to its students and to the patients with whom they engage. Students risk being exposed to blood-borne viruses (BBV) in the clinical setting throughout their academic programme. To minimise the risk of infection, students are required to undergo BBV screening and vaccinations in the first year of their studies. This is delivered through Mercer’s Medical Centre. 

****The Undergraduate Degrees issued by RCSI are the degrees of the National University of Ireland (NUI). This fee is a once-off registration fee with the NUI.

EU Fees

Graduate Entry Pharmacy applicants to the MPharm programme are not covered under the Irish Exchequer Free Fees Initiative on the basis that these students have already completed a Level 8 undergraduate degree. As a result, Graduate Entry students are either liable for EU or Non-EU Fees, depending on their EU status.

How much do I pay if I am a Graduate Entry applicant eligible for EU Fees?

Fees for the 2025/26 academic year will be published in due course. Fees for the 2024/25 academic year are listed below as a guideline:

*The student contribution charge applies in all universities in Ireland and covers non-tuition costs such as library services, examinations, student support services, welfare and counselling services etc.

**The IT fee is an annual charge to cover the costs of providing significant IT support which is essential to the delivery of the Undergraduate programmes.

***RCSI has a duty of care to its students and to the patients with whom they engage. Students risk being exposed to blood-borne viruses (BBV) in the clinical setting throughout their academic programme. To minimise the risk of infection, students are required to undergo BBV screening and vaccinations in the first year of their studies. This is delivered through Mercer’s Medical Centre. 

****The undergraduate degrees issued by RCSI are the degrees of the National University of Ireland (NUI). This fee is a once-off registration fee with the NUI.

How much do I pay if I am a School Leaver or Graduate Entry applicant eligible for Non-EU Fees?

Non-EU fees for the 2025/26 academic year are listed below.

*Non-EU Fees are €25,000 per annum. RCSI provides academic scholarships of €7,000 per annum to all privately-funded students through the RCSI Development Initiative, reducing the overall tuition fee to €18,000 per annum.

**RCSI has a duty of care to its students and to the patients with whom they engage. Students risk being exposed to blood-borne viruses (BBV) in the clinical setting throughout their academic programme. To minimise the risk of infection, students are required to undergo BBV screening and vaccinations in the first year of their studies. This is delivered through Mercer’s Medical Centre. 

***The Undergraduate Degrees issued by RCSI are the degrees of the National University of Ireland (NUI). This fee is a one-off registration fee with the NUI. 

EU Scholarships

• The Kiran Pathak Pharmacy Scholarship, which was established in memory of Kiran Pathak MPSI and his family, is awarded annually to a HEAR eligible, Irish Leaving Certificate student entering RCSI's Pharmacy degree via the CAO. Further information on the scholarship and application process is available here.
• RCSI's Traveller and Roma Communities Access Scholarship aims to increase the participation of members from the Traveller and Roma Communities in RCSI's Undergraduate Programmes. Further information on the scholarship and application process is available here.
• The 1916 Bursary is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union through the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (DFHERIS) and aims to encourage participation and success by students who are most socio-economically disadvantaged and from groups most under-represented in higher education. Further information is available at 1916bursary.ie.

Non-EU applicants who have an offer to study Pharmacy at RCSI and are self-funded (not attending under another scholarship programme) will be automatically eligible for consideration for an International Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences Scholarship.

This scholarship provides an additional €1,500 reduction in tuition fees for the first year of study only (i.e. reduced from €18,000 to €16,500).

Eligible candidates are not required to apply for the scholarship and will be automatically considered based on a review of their application (academic results and personal statement). Scholarships are awarded at the discretion of the RCSI Admissions Committee.