Ireland may be a small country, but it looms large in the minds of many around the world. As a result of unique cultural traditions, postcard-perfect scenery, and some of the region’s highest regarded universities, students from around the world have been coming to Ireland for years to study abroad.
Although you might need to train your ear to get used to the lyrical cadence of the Irish brogue, classes are taught in English. This means you’ll have access to more courses of study in English than you would in many other countries.
Likely, what will impress you even more than the ancient castles, impossibly green landscapes, and timeless natural features will be the Irish people themselves. Spend just a little bit of time in this island nation and you’ll make friends to last a lifetime.

As the capital and largest city in Ireland, Dublin is a great location to go for your study abroad. In addition to its many world-renowned universities, such as Trinity College and the University College Dublin, this hip cosmopolitan centre is full of sights and activities to keep you busy while outside of the lecture hall.
In Dublin you can knock back a pint of fresh Guinness after class while experiencing the authentic Irish student experience. With Ireland’s largest airport nearby, Dublin also makes it easy to explore other parts of Europe.

As Ireland’s second city and the cultural capital of the country, Cork is another excellent place to study abroad. Even though it’s one of the biggest cities in the country, Cork has retained a small-town feeling with just enough urban energy to keep it exciting. While in Cork, you’ll have easy access to the rugged and stunning Irish countryside for weekend trips and cozy pubs for meeting friends after class. You can study abroad in Cork with providers like API and USAC.

Not far from the dramatic Cliffs of Moher and Connemara National Park lies the small city of Galway, Ireland. While walking through the twisting alleyways lined with centuries-old houses and pubs, you may feel like you’ve been transported back to an earlier age. Indeed, in Galway, you’ll likely hear as much Gaelic as English. That’s not to say that Galway’s universities have been left in the past. Innovative programs at the arts-focused National University of Ireland (NUI), Galway provide unique and dynamic educations for anyone looking to study abroad in Ireland.

Best known as the grim and gritty setting of the memoir Angela’s Ashes, Limerick demands to be experienced in a new light. Charming yet understated, Limerick is fast developing while retaining a strong connection with its heritage. You’ll see new art galleries located in the shadow of the imposing 13th-century castle that dominates the city. While here, you can receive an outstanding education in the Liberal Arts from Mary Immaculate College or study the cutting age of technology at the Limerick Institute of Technology, one of NASA’s research partners and Silicon Valley's industry partners.

Several schools at present offer learner protection with no real policy in place. In the past, students have paid fees to these schools and have been left out of pocket when the school closes. New regulations will request that schools will need to have a transparent policy in place and provide written details of this policy alongside Irish accreditation. We recommend that you should consider looking for schools which are part of MEI (Marketing English in Ireland) and at a minimum have accreditation from Irish awarding body ACELS.

We would also advise you to be careful when choosing a college and to be cautious of;

Colleges with no Irish accreditation. Accreditation from such UK bodies as LCCI, NCFE and EDI will no longer be accepted.

Many colleges are aware that they will close and are using lower prices to attract students and to generate as much money as possible before closing.

Colleges which delay or defer start dates, or expel students with no real reason. Colleges which are destined to close have now filled their classes with students who paid for cheap courses with no remaining places left. In order to recruit more students, they are still accepting money and delaying or deferring start dates. We recommend students carry out as much research as possible, contact students presently in these colleges and find out if these practices are taking place.

Colleges with no information of who the management is. In some cases, management and marketing teams from some colleges which closed are now involved in several colleges still in operation.

As with some colleges, their business model has been based on the recruitment of non-EAA students due to the ease of generating a large amount of money in one transaction as opposed to recruiting European students for short, two-week courses. Once the new regulations come into place, this business model will result in some schools losing a large majority of their target market and will ultimately close, leaving the student out of pocket.

If you would like help finding out how to work and study in Ireland please visit us