Everything About Cost of Living & Studying in Ireland 2025-2026 | Visa & Tuition Fees
We are pleased to keep you inform about the Everything About Cost of Living & Studying in Ireland 2025-2026 Visa & Tuition Fees
Ireland is an island in the North Atlantic. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George’s Channel. Ireland is the second-largest island of the British Isles, the third-largest in Europe, and the twentieth-largest on Earth.
The counties were a creation of British rule in Ireland and were set up in the 19th century to provide a framework for local government.
Subsequently adopted by sporting and cultural organizations such as the Gaelic Athletic Association, which organizes its activities on county lines, today the county division attracts strong loyalties, particularly in the sporting field.
The Department of Education and Skills is responsible for education policy in the Republic of Ireland.
Education is compulsory for children in Ireland from the ages of 6 to 16 or until students have completed three years of second level education.
The Irish education system is made up of primary, second, third level and further education. State funded education is available at all levels, unless you choose to send your child to a private institution.
Primary education lasts for eight years. Secondary school lasts for five to six years. It is divided into a three to four year junior secondary cycle, followed by a two year senior secondary school cycle leading to the award of the Leaving Certificate.
Vocational secondary schools offer two year courses leading to the Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme and the Leaving Certificate Applied. Higher education in Ireland is offered by universities and institutes of specialized higher education.
Universities are financed for the most part by the State in the form of annual grants in aid and non recurrent grants for capital expenditure, in a proportion of the order of 90%, as well as by student fees, endowments, and private donations.
Each college has its own governing body and exercises full control over its finances. Colleges are composed of faculties and departments.
Tuition Fee in Ireland
The country has nine prestigious universities and 15 technological institutes that welcome around 35,000 international students from 161 countries.
- Undergraduate study in Ireland
The undergraduate degree courses in Ireland are, usually, free for citizens of Ireland/EU. However, in order to benefit from the “free fees initiative”, you have to apply for the funding governmental programme and prove that you are eligible (you apply for the first time, and your chosen programme lasts more than two years).
Nationality, immigration status, residence and course requirements are also criteria that can qualify you for a tuition free university degree.
However, you’ll have to pay a student contribution of around 2,500 EUR/year for student services, such as examination entries and support for clubs and societies.
The tuition fee for non EU student goes for 9,000 – 45,000 EUR/year for undergraduate degree courses.
- Postgraduate study in Ireland
Most courses take at least one year of full-time study to complete, but some can last for two (this is likely for research focussed programmes).
In most cases you will spend the two teaching semesters completing modular units of study and associated assessments, before commencing work on an independent research project and dissertation in the third semester and continuing with it over the summer
Postgraduate fees at most Irish universities are calculated according to student nationality.
The EU and EEA students can expect the cost for a year of full time study to be between €4,000 and €9,000. Fees for more expensive programmes in subjects such as business or medicine will be €20,000-€30,000.
Students from outside the EU and EEA can expect to pay about €9,000 per year as a minimum, with some courses costing up to €30,000 per year. Again, business and medicine subjects are likely to be at the more expensive end of this range.
- Doctorate study in Ireland
The doctorate tuition Fees as well varies depending on your chosen field of study, programme and university. The Doctorate study in Ireland goes for PhD courses: 9,150 – 37,000 EUR/year.
Cost of Living in Ireland
College students have a wide choice when it comes to accommodation. Some students choose to stay in on campus accommodation, which is available in many colleges. On campus accommodation is always in demand it can be quite expensive and it is difficult to find.
In Ireland, housing expenses are rather high in Ireland. Forget the expensive cities for a moment the cost of a furnished one-bedroom apartment in an average neighborhood will cost you about $2,000 per month.
Cost of Transportation in Ireland
Unless your institution makes provisions for a shuttle service to and fro from your lodging, you’ll have to rely on the available public transport, where you can make use of regional trains, bus, DART, LAUS or local taxi service, the schedule of which can be checked on the web.
Transportation costs in Ireland would cost you more than €135 on a monthly. It is rather preferable to get a Student Travel card for commuting around the city as they can reduce your costs by up to 40%.
Cost of Medical Insurance in Ireland
Under the immigration law, all non EU students must have their own private medical insurance to get into Ireland. As well as accident and illness, the insurance should cover you for a stay in hospital.
Students from EU member states who are in possession of the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) are entitled to public health services in Ireland. This card is available from health authorities in your home/domestic country.
Proof will be required of insurance coverage of a minimum of €25,000 for accident and €25,000 for disease, and as stated, for any stays in hospital.
After the first year, your travel insurance is no longer valid and you must source private medical insurance for any subsequent years.
For registration in second or later years, all non EU students can show they are in receipt of private medical insurance from Ireland by way of a letter of renewal.
The average cost for medical insurance in Ireland ranges between €500 – €800 annually.
Cost of Visa in Ireland
All the students are required to lodge €7000 to the approved student fees payment service.
Once a student pays the education bond amount, this bond is held continuously from the initial visa application through to the time the student registers in Ireland with the immigration authorities.
