06 - Ireland - Admission requirements

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, overall student numbers for the higher education sector as a whole are government determined. The higher education funding bodies  make allocations to institutions to meet overall student number plans and set targets to institutions for student numbers. The purpose of these targets is to ensure that institutions deliver teaching activity for the funding provided.

For a few subject areas, there is a greater degree of central control. Undergraduate medical and dental courses are subject to quotas to ensure that the number of medical and dental students required to meet national needs is delivered. Nursing and midwifery provision is largely funded by the health authorities which contract with institutions for the delivery of specified numbers of trainee nurses and midwives. In England, the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) sets intake targets for initial teacher training for those wanting to work in primary and secondary schools. Similar arrangements exist in Wales and Northern Ireland.

The traditional requirement for entry to degree study is two or three General Certificate of Education Advanced-level (GCE A-level) passes as well as a minimum number of General Certificate of Secondary Education. These remain the most common form of entry qualification held by young entrants to higher education. However, many entrants to higher education are now older (over 21) and many such mature entrants hold other qualifications.

A wide range of other qualifications is acceptable for entry. They include GCE A-levels in applied subjects (formerly Vocational Certificates of Education (VCEs), Edexcel BTEC National Qualifications and the International Baccalaureate. In Wales, a Welsh Baccalaureate qualification is available in several schools and colleges; the Advanced qualification is also acceptable for entry to higher education institutions.

Access courses provide another route, particularly for mature entrants. These programmes were originally designed for students over the age of 21 without formal qualifications but, since 2003-04, the lower age limit has been reduced to 19. Some access courses provide guaranteed entry to specific undergraduate courses on successful completion.

Most institutions also welcome applications from mature candidates who have had appropriate experience but may lack formal qualifications. Many institutions give credit for prior study and informal learning acquired through work or other experiences (Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) or Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL)).

It is the individual institution that determines the admissions requirements for each programme. These requirements are set out in the institution’s undergraduate prospectus. Many courses require some or all of the qualifications for entry to be in specific subjects or range of subjects and at specific grades. Institutions and programmes vary in terms of the competition for places. For some highly over-subscribed programmes, such as medicine, dentistry, veterinary science and law, applicants may be required to take an additional admissions test. Examples of such tests include the BioMedical Admissions Test and the UK Clinical Aptitude Test.

In 2002, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) introduced a points scoring system for expressing entry requirements to higher education. The ‘UCAS Tariff’ establishes agreed comparability between different types of qualifications including Scottish and Irish qualifications, the Welsh Baccalaureate, the International Baccalaureate and some vocational qualifications. However, higher education institutions are not obliged to express their entry requirements in these terms.

In all cases it is the individual institution which decides which applicants will be offered a place.

Raising and widening participation

At present in England 43 per cent of those aged 18-30 enter higher education. The Government’s aim is to raise and widen participation in higher education. More specifically, it is to increase participation in higher education towards 50 per cent of those aged 18 to 30, and also to make significant progress year-on-year towards fair access and reducing rates of non-completion. A number of measures are underway to help achieve this goal.

For example, the AimHigher programme (formerly the Excellence Challenge) aims to encourage 13- to 19-year-olds to aspire to go on to higher education, particularly those from families with no tradition of doing so. It aims to raise awareness and understanding of the different progression routes into higher education including the vocational route. AimHigher activities include: campus visits, residential summer schools, taster days, mentoring programmes and online and other information sources that demonstrate progression routes. In 2004, the AimHigher programme merged with the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) Partnerships for Progression programme to form the unified AimHigher programme. In Wales, the Aim Higher Wales campaign was launched in 2003 with similar aims to the programme in England.

The Office for Fair Access (OFFA) is a non departmental public body set up in 2004 to promote and safeguard fair access to higher education for under-represented groups, in the light of the introduction of variable tuition fees in 2006-07 in England.

Widening access and improving participation in higher education forms one of the strategic aims of the Higher Education Funding Council for England. HEFCE allocates additional funds to institutions specifically for widening participation. This funding is broken down into three sections:
(GCSE) passes at grade C or above

• widening access for students from disadvantaged backgrounds;
• improving retention;
• widening access and improving provision for disabled students.

A full description of these funding arrangements and of HEFCE's broader activities in this area are available at the HEFCE widening participation web pages.

Planned changes in the arrangements for student support aim to remove financial barriers to participation. In July 2007, following the introduction of variable tuition fees, the Government announced changes to the student support system that will increase the number of students entitled to non repayable maintenance grants from 2008/09. Under the new arrangements, it is estimated that two thirds of students will receive some grant each year, compared to just over a half now.

Language of instruction

Teaching is delivered in English and students whose first language is not English are normally asked to provide evidence of English language ability before admission.

In Wales, some institutions have provision for students to follow some courses through the medium of the Welsh language and to present work and take examinations in that language. The 2002 Welsh strategy document, ‘Reaching Higher: Higher Education and the Learning Country (WAG, 2002b) set a target of seven per cent of students in Wales taking some element of their course through the medium of Welsh by 2010.

In Northern Ireland, the language of instruction at the four higher education institutions is English, although some institutions use Irish as a medium of instruction for some or all of their courses in Irish and Celtic Studies.

Institutions:

 

Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE)
Northavon House Coldharbour Lane Bristol BS16 1QD England
Tel.:+44 (0)117 931 7317
Fax:+44 (0)117 931 7203
E-mail:  hefce@hefce.ac.uk
Website:  http://www.hefce.ac.uk

 

Learning and Skills Council
Cheylesmore House Quinton Road Coventry CV1 2WT England
Tel.:+44 (0)870 900 6800
Fax:+44 (0)24 7682 3675
E-mail:  info@lsc.gov.uk
Website:  http://www.lsc.gov.uk

 

Office for Fair Access (OFFA)
Northavon House Coldharbour Lane Bristol BS16 1QD
Tel.:+44 (0)117 9317171
Fax:+44 (0)117 9317479
E-mail: enquiries@offa.org.uk
Website:  http://www.offa.org.uk/

 

Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA)
151 Buckingham Palace Road London SW1W 9SZ
Tel.:+44 (0)207 023 8001
E-mail:  corporatecomms@tda.gov.uk
Website:  http://www.tda.gov.uk/

 

Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS)
Rosehill New Barn Lane Cheltenham Gloucestershire GL52 3LZ England
Tel.:+44 (0) 1242 222444(general enquiries)
E-mail: enquiries@ucas.ac.uk
Website:  http://www.ucas.ac.uk
Applicant enquiries: +44 (0)870 1122211

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