RCSI's main building faces St Stephen's Green in the centre of Dublin, a few minutes from Grafton Street. Founded in 1784 to train surgeons, it is now RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, with schools of medicine, pharmacy, physiotherapy and nursing. It has one of the largest shares of international students of any Irish university, many from North America, the Middle East and Malaysia. RCSI also runs a campus in Bahrain and shares one in Penang, Malaysia.
Dublin, Ireland
Official website: rcsi.com
1784
RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences
St Stephen's Green, Dublin
Bahrain and Penang, Malaysia
€30,000 – €65,000
Non-EU students, health science and medicine degrees
€12,000 – €16,000
Rent, food and local transport
Approximate figures for 2026-27, please verify. Fees change every year and vary by course, so check the latest amount on rcsi.com before you apply.
Medicine (Undergraduate Entry)
Bachelors DegreeDuration
60-72 Months
Intake
Sep
Exam Score
IELTS: 6.5
Graduate Entry Medicine
Bachelors DegreeDuration
48 Months
Intake
Aug
Exam Score
MCAT or GAMSAT; IELTS: 6.5
Pharmacy (MPharm)
Masters DegreeDuration
60 Months
Intake
Sep
Exam Score
IELTS: 6.5
BSc Physiotherapy
Bachelors DegreeDuration
48 Months
Intake
Sep
Exam Score
IELTS: 6.5
Medical training in central Dublin, beside St Stephen's Green.
One of Ireland's most international student bodies.
A surgical training history going back to 1784.
Medical graduates go on to internships in Ireland or residency in North America and elsewhere.
Pharmacy and physiotherapy graduates register to practise in Ireland and abroad.
Non-EU graduates can apply for Ireland's Third Level Graduate Programme to stay and work.
Undergrad
Direct application
Postgrad
Direct application
St Stephen's Green is Dublin's central park, with Grafton Street's shops at one corner and the Luas tram stopping alongside. Clinical training takes students to Beaumont Hospital and other Dublin hospitals.
Dublin is compact and walkable, but rent is among the highest in Europe. Budget carefully and apply early for college housing.
Letter of acceptance from the institution
Proof of tuition fee payment
Proof of EUR 10,000 living funds
Private medical insurance
English test at required level
Passport valid twelve months beyond arrival
Non-EU applicants apply directly to RCSI or through an approved agent. Undergraduate medicine usually closes in the winter or spring before entry, and graduate-entry medicine fills early, so apply as soon as applications open.
Most programmes start in late August or September.
If you're from a visa-required country, it's an Irish D study visa: offer letter, proof of fees paid, EUR 10,000 in accessible funds and medical insurance. Everyone from outside the EU then registers for an Irish Residence Permit after arriving.
Undergraduate-entry medicine, graduate-entry medicine, pharmacy and physiotherapy are the main programmes for international students. Medicine needs strong school results in chemistry and another science; graduate entry needs a degree plus the MCAT or GAMSAT. Expect around IELTS 6.5.
RCSI has a small number of scholarships for international students, including some for particular countries. Most students fund medicine through family, loans or government sponsorship.
