It depends on the Irish state's Free Fees scheme. If you qualify (EU citizen plus residency of at least 3 of the last 5 years in the EEA, the typical case for a student from Romania), the state covers your medicine tuition and you pay only the student contribution plus fees: approximately EUR 3,490 per year, or ~EUR 990 if you also qualify for the SUSI grant.

If you do NOT meet the residency condition, you pay the EU rate: tuition EUR 6,267 plus fees, a total of ~EUR 9,757 per year. For comparison, a non-EU student pays around EUR 61,000 per year in tuition alone. All figures are those published by RCSI for 2026-27. Recommendation: check your fee status before you apply, because it makes the difference between ~EUR 3,490 and ~EUR 9,757 per year.

As a Romanian (EU) citizen you apply through CAO (Central Applications Office), the Irish national admissions system, under code RC001 (Undergraduate Medicine). The online application usually runs 5 November - 1 February. In addition, for Medicine you must sit the HPAT-Ireland test in February. Your final score is a combination of academic score (from the Baccalaureate, converted) plus the HPAT score.

Important to know: non-EU students do NOT apply through CAO, but directly to RCSI or through agents. For you, as an EU citizen, the standard route is CAO plus HPAT.

HPAT-Ireland (Health Professions Admission Test) is an aptitude test required for admission to Medicine in Ireland. It assesses logical reasoning, understanding of interpersonal situations and non-verbal reasoning. It is taken in February, in the year of admission, and the score is added to the academic score.

HPAT is mandatory only for Medicine. For Pharmacy, Physiotherapy or Nursing at RCSI you do not need HPAT, only the CAO academic score. If you are aiming for medicine, preparing for HPAT is a serious part of the application, because it can make the difference for such a competitive programme.

Very hard. Medicine at RCSI is among the most competitive programmes in Ireland. In 2025, admitted candidates had median academic scores of 553-565 points (on the Leaving Certificate scale), HPAT scores between 163 and 241, and a combined score around 732. For Romanians, that means a Baccalaureate with very strong grades in the relevant subjects (biology, chemistry) plus a solid HPAT score.

The good news: RCSI is the largest medical school in Ireland, so the number of places is larger than at other universities. But competition remains high, especially for the places funded through Free Fees.

Yes, teaching at RCSI is entirely in English. It is a major advantage over Spain, Italy, Germany or France, where you often have to learn the local language for EU-rate medicine programmes. At RCSI you do not need a second foreign language for your courses.

As a non-native speaker, you still need proof of English for admission: usually IELTS Academic 6.5+ or equivalent (TOEFL iBT, Cambridge C1). Check the exact threshold of your programme on rcsi.com, since it can differ between Medicine and the other health programmes.

RCSI is a university specialised exclusively in medicine and health sciences, so you will not find law, business or engineering here. The main undergraduate programmes are: Medicine (the largest medical school in Ireland, direct entry or Graduate Entry), Pharmacy (MPharm, 5 years), Physiotherapy (4 years), plus Advanced Therapeutic Technologies and programmes in biomolecular sciences.

RCSI also has schools of Nursing and Midwifery and a rich offering of postgraduate programmes in surgery, public health and healthcare management. If you want a career in healthcare, RCSI is a very focused option. If you want something else, choose a general university.

No. As a Romanian (EU/EEA) citizen, you do not need a study visa for Ireland. You have the right to enter, study and work in Ireland without a special permit. It is one of the big advantages over the USA (F-1 visa) or the United Kingdom (Student visa, international fees).

After arrival, you open an Irish bank account, get a PPS number (Personal Public Service Number, the equivalent of the CNP for public services) and register with a family doctor. The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) covers part of basic medical services.

Yes. As an EU citizen, you have the automatic right to work in Ireland without a work permit. Ireland has a strong labour market in healthcare, and a medicine graduate from RCSI can continue with the medical internship and then specialty training in the Irish system (HSE) or in another EU state.

A medicine degree from RCSI is internationally recognised, and the institution has a global alumni network. As an EU citizen, you can also practise in other EU states, subject to recognition of the professional qualification under European directives. To practise in Romania, you will follow the diploma recognition procedure with the College of Physicians (Colegiul Medicilor).