For Irish students considering studying in the UK, especially for competitive courses such as medicine, law and engineering, or for applications to Oxford or Cambridge, preparation needs to begin in fifth year.
Many students only realise too late that the UK’s Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) is very different from Ireland’s Central Applications Office (CAO): UCAS applications take longer, involve more planning, and cannot be left until the last minute.
For 2027 entry, UCAS opens on May 12th, 2026, and applications can be submitted from September 1st, 2026. Students applying to Oxford, Cambridge or to most medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine courses must apply by October 15th, 2026.
For most other undergraduate courses, the equal consideration deadline is January 13th, 2027. These early deadlines, combined with the time schools need to prepare references and predicted grades before the form can be sent, mean that much of the work has to be done well before the Leaving Cert.
Predicted grades play a key role. Guidance says they should be aspirational, yet achievable, and based on evidence and professional judgment. Because each school in Ireland sets its own approach, students should find out early how predictions will be decided and ensure their fifth year work reflects their true capabilities. This is an opportunity to have an open conversation with teachers and to show what they can achieve.
