Irish higher education institutions include universities, technological universities, institutes of technology, colleges of education and specialist institutions. Since the Technological Universities Act 2018, most former institutes of technology have amalgamated into five technological universities, with
Dundalk Institute of Technology and
Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology remaining as institutes of technology. The Irish universities include the University of Dublin, better known by the name of its sole college,
Trinity College Dublin, the four constituent universities of the National University of Ireland, two universities established in 1989, five technological universities formed by the amalgamation of Institutes of Technology and a professional medical institution. Some
colleges are
constituent colleges of
universities, while others are designated institutions of the State agency
Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI), which succeeded the
Higher Education and Training Awards Council. The latter include the remaining
Institutes of technology in Ireland in
Dundalk and
Dún Laoghaire, Colleges of Education, and other independent colleges. Some colleges have "delegated authority" from QQI, this allows them to confer and validate awards in their own name. Some institutions such as the
University of Limerick,
Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin), and
Dublin City University (DCU) have completed a process of modularising their courses (others are still in a transition phase), mostly using the
ECTS. The
Bologna process and
applied research are the current concerns of national educational policy, additional concerns include the structures of the
National University of Ireland. In 2019 TU Dublin amalgamated three institutions in the Dublin region (
Dublin Institute of Technology,
Institute of Technology, Blanchardstown, and
Institute of Technology, Tallaght), and in 2021
Munster Technological University amalgamated two institutions in the Munster region (
Cork Institute of Technology, and
Institute of Technology, Tralee), while the
Technological University of the Shannon: Midlands Midwest was formed by the merger of
Limerick Institute of Technology and
Athlone Institute of Technology. The
Atlantic Technological University, through the merger of
Galway Mayo Institute of Technology,
Institute of Technology, Sligo and
Letterkenny Institute of Technology and
South East Technological University with the merger of
Institute of Technology, Carlow and
Waterford Institute of Technology in 2022. The
Marks & Standards document, offered by most institutions, can be consulted for information on the range and criteria set down for awards, while programme specifications offer additional information. In contrast to practice in the rest of the education system, entry tends to be highly competitive for
school leavers; the so-called "Points Race" administered by the
Central Applications Office (CAO). In 2001 the percentage of school leavers transferring to third level exceeded 50% for the first time, while as of 2005 it was in excess of 55% and expected to grow at approximately 1% per annum for the next decade. There are over 25 third-level courses at graduate and postgraduate level offered through the Irish language.
Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge is the Irish language Department of the
University of Galway and it has different off-campus centres throughout the Gaeltacht regions. Dublin City University has an Irish language department called Fiontar.
University College Dublin (UCD), TU Dublin, and
Atlantic Technological University (ATU) also offer similar courses. All but two of the eleven universities in Ireland offer "open" (omnibus entry)
Bachelor of Arts degrees through the
CAO where the student can choose their specialisation after their first year of study. The two universities that do not offer "open" (omnibus entry) arts degrees, Trinity College Dublin and DCU, do still offer Bachelor of Arts degrees in specific areas of study such as
Drama Studies,
Journalism,
Latin,
History,
Japanese, and
International Relations. In one, Trinity College Dublin, the applicants wishing to read an Arts degree may apply to the college to read a combination of two subjects, such as French and Philosophy – which the student may continue to read jointly or with focus on one. DCU's de facto omnibus entry arts degree is offered by
St. Patrick's College of Education (a college of DCU) and is titled "
BA in Humanities".
All Hallows College (a college of DCU) offer BA in humanities, theology pastoral care, and English. Entry into higher education institutions is normally done through the CAO. In this way, students wishing to enter university apply to the CAO rather than the individual university. Places in courses are usually awarded based on results in the Leaving Certificate Examination or any international equivalent. Each university has a minimum entry requirement, usually requiring a pass grade in either English or Irish, as well as maths. Some also require a pass grade in a modern continental European language (French, German, Spanish or Italian). Each individual course has further entry requirements, for example, science courses usually require a certain grade in one or two sciences. The student must also achieve the number of points required for the course under the points system. However, universities also have systems in place for accepting mature students, and students who have successfully completed a Post Leaving Certificate or Further Education course. Entry into third-level is generally very high in Ireland (as it also is in
Northern Ireland), and among young adults (those aged 25 to 34), 41.6% of them have attained third-level degrees—the second highest level in the EU after Cyprus, and substantially ahead of the average of 29.1%. Broken down by gender, approximately 43% of women and 40% of men Ireland attend third level education. == International students ==