The University of Limerick (UL), founded in 1972, is one of Ireland’s younger universities, with a large riverside campus on the River Shannon. In the QS World University Rankings 2027, published in June 2026, it was 388th in the world, its highest ranking to date, and the fifth-highest-ranked university in Ireland. It’s known for engineering, business, sport and health sciences, and for its Cooperative Education programme, which places students in paid work as part of their degree.
UL is easy to apply to directly and its fees are among the lowest of Ireland’s top universities, but the deadline is earlier if you need a visa. Here are 10 things you can do to give yourself the best chance, based on UL’s own guidance and official Irish government information.
1. Apply directly to UL
Non-EU applicants apply directly to UL, not through the Central Applications Office (CAO). You apply from your chosen programme’s page using the “Apply Now” button, and the same page shows the programme’s modules, entry requirements and fees. UL: full degree applications.
2. Know your deadline
Applications for September entry stay open until early July, but if you’re from a visa-required country the deadline is earlier. For 2026 entry, it was 1 July 2026 at 12pm Irish time, and applications received after that weren’t considered. Some programmes have earlier deadlines, so check your programme page.
3. Use your two choices well
The online application fee is €50, which covers two programme choices in one submission. Choose a second programme you’d also be happy to study, because further submissions need another fee.
4. Send a complete application
UL assesses your application on the information you send, so upload everything before the deadline: your final certificate or predicted results, transcripts for each year, a supporting statement, an English language certificate if English isn’t your first language, and your passport or birth certificate.
5. Meet the English requirement
UL accepts only IELTS Academic, not the General Training test, and asks for 6.5 overall with no component below 6.0. Some programmes require higher scores. Practise with our free IELTS and TOEFL practice tests. UL FAQs for international students.
6. Accept your offer quickly
You accept your place by paying a €1,000 non-refundable acceptance deposit, which is deducted from your tuition fee. Your place is only held until your acceptance deadline, and programmes can fill up quickly, so pay on time.
7. Understand the fees
For 2026-27, UL’s non-EU fee is €17,500 a year for most arts, business and law degrees, including the Bachelor of Business Studies and Bachelor of Laws, and €22,700 for engineering, science and architecture. Graduate-entry medicine costs €56,600. New international students must pay their full tuition fee before enrolment, not in instalments. Fees are reviewed each year. UL undergraduate fees 2026-27.
8. Look for funding and housing early
Scholarships for international students are limited, so check UL’s scholarship pages and funding in your home country early. Limerick is cheaper than Dublin, but student housing near campus is in demand, so apply for a room as soon as you accept your offer.
9. Get your visa and immigration permission
If you’re from the EU/EEA, the UK or Switzerland, you don’t need a visa or permission to study in Ireland. Students from visa-required countries apply online for a long-stay study visa once UL has made an offer and they’ve paid their fees, and processing can take several weeks, so apply as early as you can. You must show immediate access to at least €10,000 for your first year, and the same for each later year, and all non-EEA students need private medical insurance. After you arrive, you register with immigration and receive Stamp 2 permission and an Irish Residence Permit (IRP), which costs €300 each time you register. UL says that if you need a visa, you must pay at least 50% of your tuition fee to receive your visa support letter. Irish immigration: student finance requirements.
10. Plan for work during and after your studies
With Stamp 2 permission you can work up to 20 hours a week during term, and up to 40 hours a week in June, July, August and September and between 15 December and 15 January. After you graduate with an honours bachelor’s degree (level 8), the Third Level Graduate Programme lets you stay for 12 months on Stamp 1G to look for a graduate job, and with a master’s degree or higher (level 9 or above) you can get up to 24 months. While on Stamp 1G you can work full time without an employment permit, but you need to secure an employment permit before it ends to stay longer. Irish immigration: FAQs for students.
Applying for a master’s or PhD at UL?
UL offers many taught master’s degrees, especially in engineering, computing, business and health, and admission is based mainly on your bachelor’s degree and grades. International applicants can only apply for full-time programmes, because a study visa requires full-time study. For a PhD, how you apply depends on whether you’ve agreed a research proposal with a supervisor. See our 50 sample SOPs and free GRE practice tests.
Be ambitious, but apply to a balanced list
Apply to more than one university to give yourself options. Read our guides to Trinity College Dublin, University College Dublin, University College Cork and the University of Galway. Our guide to studying in Ireland explains how the Irish system works, and our free study abroad assessment can help you build a shortlist.
Information was taken from the University of Limerick’s official admissions and fee pages, Ireland’s Immigration Service Delivery and the QS World University Rankings 2027, and checked in October 2026. Admissions rules, deadlines, fees and immigration rules can change, so always confirm the details on UL’s international admissions website before you apply. StudyAbroadMarket is not affiliated with the University of Limerick.