All types. Atlantic Bridge is a cultural diversity scheme that is designed to add well-qualified students of diverse backgrounds to the university’s student body. Students of all ages, nationalities, college majors, ethnicities, financial resources, etc., are encouraged to apply.

No, students from all NON-EU nations are welcome to apply through Atlantic Bridge, particularly if a portion of your second and/or third-level education took place in the USA or Canada, or at a US or Canadian school overseas.

Students must normally have attained the age of seventeen years by the 15th of January following the year of entry to a University.

Please refer to the Application Instructions page of our website.

Yes. Students will be required to purchase books at an approximate cost of €300 (£250 UK Pounds if attending Queens University) per year. At the beginning of the clinical years students attending Trinity College Dublin and University College Cork are required to purchase a set of dental instruments. The estimated cost of instruments for Trinity College Dublin is €3,000 and University College Cork is €4,000.

Up to 30 North American students are admitted annually.

Yes. In the interests of the safety of both patients and students, Irish health care regulations require that a student entering a health care-related program undergo a health screening at the university health center after registration with the school. This is required to ensure that students are free of any infectious disease that may cause harm to patients, other students or faculty.

Documents for such screenings are provided by the universities. Please note that there is an associated cost of approximately €225 – €300 (depending on the school) for health screening. The fees are paid directly to the university.

The Irish Naturalization and Immigration Service require that all non-EU students have private health insurance while studying in Ireland. Students should be prepared to present proof of insurance when arriving in Ireland.Students enrolled on a course of more than one academic year must buy a combined insurance policy that offers both (i) Health Insurance and (ii) student accident and repatriation. Such a (combined) policy meets the requirements for immigration.

To secure such a policy you can visit the Study and Protect page from the Arachas Insurance Company.

Study & Protect

The Arachas policy will meet the requirements of the immigration authorities and they are endorsed by the Irish universities. Atlantic Bridge Tip, select the box titled “Medical Expenses (on a course of more than one academic year”).

Successful completion of the dentistry degree courses leads to a Bachelor in Dental Science (B.Dent.Sc.) at Trinity College Dublin and a Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) at University College Cork. Trinity College Dublin awards a Bachelor in Arts (B.A.) in addition to the B.Dent.Sc., at the end of the five years. Queen’s University awards the degree of Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS).

Once applicable licensing procedures have been successfully met, holders of these degrees are eligible to practice dentistry in the United States, Canada and all of the European Union nations. The schools have graduates currently practicing and/or teaching dentistry in North America.

1. Trinity College Dublin, School of Dentistry
2. University College Cork, School of Dentistry
3. Queen’s University Belfast, Center for Dental Education
4. Irish Dental Association

The dental degrees awarded are recognized by the dental licensing authorities in the United States, Canada and the European Union. However, you should check with your national and state/provincial licensing authorities for specific details on applicable licensing procedures and additional training that may be required of foreign-trained dentists.

Canada

The Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) between the Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada (CDAC) and the Dental Council of Ireland was signed on December 5^th, 2012.  Under this agreement, the CDAC and the Dental Council of Ireland agree that each party recognizes the accreditation standards and policies of the other party as being equivalent to its own.  There are twelve dental programs covered under this agreement, ten in Canada and two in Ireland (University College Cork and Trinity College Dublin).

Students who graduate from University College Cork (UCC) or Trinity College Dublin (TCD) after December 5^th, 2012 will be accepted for licensing in Canada as graduates of an accredited dental educational program and do not need to meet other educational requirements typically required of graduates of non-Canadian Dental schools.

Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada
National Dental Examining Board of Canada
Canadian Dental Regulatory Authorities Federation
Dental Council of Ireland

USA

Students intending to practice in the United States can find more information about practicing in the United States through the American Student Dental Association. To be eligible for licensing in the United States, graduates of Irish Dental Schools will likely be required to complete additional training in a School of Dentistry located in the United States.

American Dental Association
American Student Dental Association
American Dental Education Association

The 4-Year Graduate Entry Program is offered at University College Cork. The 5-Year Program is offered at University College Cork, Trinity College Dublin and Queens University Belfast. IMPORTANT NOTE: the 4 YR Graduate Entry Dentistry program at University College Cork will not be accepting students for the 2023 entry due to complications around the pandemic.

Absolutely. The standard of education in Irish Dentist schools is extremely high. Their degrees are highly regarded throughout the world. Their graduates routinely secure some of the most prestigious residency training positions in North America.

The following is a guideline for Annual Tuition Fees for the 2022/23 academic year.

Trinity College Dublin – €45,500 Euros
University College Cork – 5 Year – €42,500 Euros
Queen’s University Belfast – £34,100 UK Pounds

The above fees should be treated as a guideline only and are not official. Tuition fees are subject to annual review.

Holders of EU passports who are not ordinarily residents of the EU are subject to overseas (i.e. non-EU) tuition fees. A student who meets any of the following conditions may request to be assessed for EU Tuition Fees.

*Ordinarily resident means being resident in the EU/EEA/Swiss Confederation for a minimum of 183 days in any one calendar year for a minimum of 3 of the last 5 years.

(a) For all applicants aged under 23 on September 1^st of the year of entry to a program:

1. Parent(s) must have been resident as tax-payer(s) (i.e. principal residence for the purpose of taxation) in the EU for three of the five years prior to commencing the program AND
2. Applicant/student must have been ordinarily resident in the EU/EEA/Swiss Confederation for three of the five years prior to commencing a program

(b) For all applicants aged 23 or over on September 1^st of the year of entry to a program:

1. Applicants over 23 are considered independent, mature applicants. The applicant/student must have been resident as a tax-payer (that is – principal residence for the purpose of taxation) in the EU/EEA/Swiss Confederation for three of the five years prior to commencing the program

(c) Students educated for 5 years in primary or secondary school in the EU/EEA/Swiss Confederation can be assessed for EU fees

A student who is eligible for EU fees must apply via the Central Applications Office.

Note: Any period of residence as a student or a holder of a student visa will not be included in the assessment of years of residence.

In order to receive an offer of an EU place, you must apply via the Central Applications Office (CAO).

University College Cork

In order to apply to University College Cork (UCC) you must have your Bachelor’s Degree completed no later than September 1^st of the year of proposed entry. Your degree program should include a significant science component including courses in Chemistry and Biology.

Candidates who are applying to the Graduate Entry 4-Year Program in Dentistry must have:

1. completed an Honors Bachelor’s Degree by September 1st of the year of proposed entry
2. completed courses in General Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry by September 1st of the year of proposed entry

Students with Bachelor’s Degrees who have not completed these course requirements will be considered for the 5 Year Program only.

When applying to UCC, all eligible candidates will initially be considered for the 4 Year Graduate Entry Dentistry (GED) Program. However, GED places are limited and consequently not all candidates can receive a GED offer. Therefore, although you may be qualified for GED, you may receive an offer to the 5 Year dentistry degree program.

Because GPA can be very subjective, the Irish Dentistry Schools do not typically use guidelines around GPA for admissions purposes. For instance, Student A may have a slightly lower GPA than Student B, but Student A may have a much higher degree of difficulty in his/her degree or high school program. Also, many schools (especially in Canada) do not even have a GPA system. So there are many variables involved, therefore, GPA is not always a useful system for assessing students for dentistry school and it can be misleading.

Consequently the Admissions Committees tend to consider every application individually and on its own merits, taking into account (among other things) the degree of difficulty involved in the undergraduate degree or high school curriculum, the competitiveness of the school, the course load carried by the student and other factors.

However, if applying to Trinity College your GPA or equivalent should be a minimum of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale.

University College Cork and Queen’s University Belfast conduct a online interview as part of their selection process. Interviews are not required for those applying to Trinity College Dublin.

Under the terms of the Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA), any student who is enrolled in an accredited program at the time of the MRA being terminated, and proceeds to successfully complete said program, shall be considered to have graduated from an accredited program and shall subsequently benefit from the provisions of the MRA.

Students who are currently enrolled in courses and who will not have final marks or earned their degree by the application deadline may be given a conditional offer by the schools. This is a common practice and allows students to (i) apply while they are still undertaking their current coursework and (ii) receive an offer of a place based on past coursework already completed and predicted marks.

A conditional offer is an offer that is contingent on meeting certain condition(s), for instance, a) earning a high school diploma or bachelor’s degree by September of the year of entry, b) earning a certain grade point average, c) completion of the prerequisite science and math courses and/or d) obtaining a certain score on a standardized test (e.g. IB/MCAT etc.).

There is one entering class each year. Classes commence annually in September.

Yes, the universities have excellent, modern, on-campus housing. International students who have received letters of admission are guaranteed university housing (provided that their housing applications are received on time). Housing in the private sector, including housing for married couples, may also be located with assistance from the college’s student accommodation office. For more detail, please visit our Accommodations page.

The universities recommend that, on average, students should budget approximately €18,000 (Euros) per year (approximately £13,000 UK Pounds if attending Queen’s University) for living expenses (housing, food, books, toiletries, transportation, etc.). These expenses may be financed through financial aid.

Financial aid US and Canada in the form of US and Canadian student loans are available to cover education expenses such as tuition fees, books and supplies, travel, etc. Currently, the Irish universities do not offer scholarships to international students.

For the answer to these questions, please view our Moving to Ireland page, or click here for information on UK visas required to attend Queen’s University.

Yes, the Council on International Education Exchange (CIEE) offers special student airfares to students who are studying overseas. CIEE has offices throughout the USA and Canada through which travel arrangements can be made to and from Europe, North America and the rest of the world. For details on their office nearest you call 1-800-781-4040 or visit www.statravel.com.

The Irish Tourist Board at 1-800-223-6470, or visit www.ireland.ie. Most of the major air carriers have daily scheduled flights to and from Ireland. You could also check with your preferred airline.