If your child is considering going to college, there are a number of options available:
(1) Further Education
These are usually one or two-year PLC courses run by FET colleges throughout Ireland, leading to Level 5 or 6 QQI awards. You can search PLC Course options here.
- Funded by the state
- Application to individual colleges
(2) Higher Education
Typically two to four year courses run by Universities and Institutes of technology throughout the country. Leads to Level 6 Higher Certificates, Level 7 Ordinary Degrees and Level 8 Higher Degrees.
- Funded by the state (though registration fees apply)
- Application through the CAO (some exceptions)
(3) Private Colleges
Higher Education courses are also run by Private Colleges and are referred to as Direct Entry or Non CAO courses. For more details of these courses click here.
- Fee paying
- Application is directly to the particular college
(4) UK Colleges - Application is through the UCAS system
(5) Europe and Abroad - Application is direct to colleges. Click here for detailed information from EUNiCAS - the European Universities Central Application Support Service.
Note: Qualifications are awarded according to the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ). Click here for more information.
Follow the links on this page for detailed information about the different options. |