Prerequisites for Studying Medicine in Ireland
6 months ago by Chris
The six universities that offer medicine all have a minimum requirement of 480 points from the same sitting of the Leaving Certificate or equivalent. They also have minimum subject requirements, so it is essential to consider this when deciding which Leaving Certificate subjects to choose.
Some medicine courses are five years long and some are six. The 6-year courses have a pre-med year where a science foundation is built, thus there are higher entry requirements for the 5-year courses as you’ll be proceeding directly into studying medicine.
What are the subject requirements for each medical course?
6-year courses
The four 6-year medicine courses at University of Galway, University of Limerick, RCSI, and UCD share nearly identical minimum subject requirements (with one minor variation for University of Limerick):
- Minimum 2 × H5 grades and 4 × O6/H7 grades overall
- O6/H7 in English
- O6/H7 in Mathematics
- O6/H7 in Irish*
- O6/H7 in A third language*
- O6/H7 in one of Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Physics/Chemistry, or Agricultural Science
*University of Limerick requires O6/H7 in either Irish OR a language other than English
If you have already chosen your Leaving Certificate subjects and are only studying one Science subject, you should consider the 6-year courses.
Even if your preference is to gain entry to one of these six-year courses, choosing two science subjects at Leaving Certificate level is still advisable as the knowledge will be useful once you are in university.
5-year courses
The 5-year course at University of Galway has higher minimum subject requirements than the 6-year course:
- Minimum 2 × H4 grades and 4 × O6/H7 grades overall
- O6/H7 in English, Irish, a third language, and Mathematics
- 2 × H4 grades from: Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Physics/Chemistry, or Agricultural Science
The 5-year courses at RCSI and UCC have identical minimum subject requirements:
- Minimum 2 × H4 grades and 4 × O6/H7 grades overall
- O6/H7 or higher in English, Irish, a third language, and Mathematics
- H4 in Chemistry
- H4 in either Biology or Physics
TCD offers only a 5-year course with the following minimum subject requirements:
- Minimum 1 × H3, 1 × H4, 1 × H5, and 3 × O6/H7 grades overall
- O6/H7 in English
- O6/H7 in a language other than English*
- O6/H7 or higher in Mathematics (or O4/H6 if not taking Physics)
- H3 and a H4 from: Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Physics/Chemistry, or Agricultural Science
*Similar to the University of Limerick, TCD does not specifically require Irish—you can fulfill the language requirement with Irish OR a language other than English.
So what subjects should I choose?
This can all seem overwhelming at first, but understanding the common requirements helps simplify your subject choices. Most medical courses require two science subjects for entry, making this a logical starting point. Chemistry stands out as it's mandatory for both the 5-year RCSI and UCC courses, which is why many aspiring medical students include it in their subject lineup. These courses also require either Biology or Physics, so students typically choose one or both of these. It's important to keep in mind that a third language is required for most universities as well.
These core subjects are therefore English, Irish, Mathematics, a third language, Chemistry, and Biology or Physics. This is six subjects. Since most students take seven subjects for the Leaving Certificate (and some take an additional subject outside of school), you'll have one or two remaining subject slots to fill.
For these final choices, consider both your aptitude and geniune interests. Medicine is highly competitive, so you'll want to maximize your points by selecting subjects where you can excel and stay motivated. Your Junior Certificate results offer valuable insight here, and your teachers can provide honest feedback about where your strengths lie.
Can you provide some sample subject lists?
The table below shows three sample subject lists. As long as the required grades are obtained in the subjects below, they will fulfil the minimum subject requirements for any of the medical courses in Ireland.
| Sample List 1 | Sample List 2 | Sample List 3 |
| English | English | English |
| Irish | Irish | Irish |
| Mathematics | Mathematics | Mathematics |
| German | French | Spanish |
| Chemistry | Chemistry | Chemistry |
| Biology | Physics | Biology |
| Music | Art | Business |
What else should I do to maximise my chances of getting into medicine?
The other point to remember is, putting all medical courses on your CAO is the best way to maximise your chances of gaining entry into medicine. If you achieve enough points to gain entry to your first choice but do not succeed in obtaining the required grade in one subject, you may still gain entry to another course lower on your list.
Of course, if you are exempt from a subject such as Irish, you will not be required to study this for entry to medicine.
And don’t forget - HPAT is a very important requirement for studying medicine, and it is best to start your preparation early!
Last updated: October 2025
