Ireland university intakes
Ireland runs a dominant September intake and a smaller January one. Because most taught master's programmes are one year, the intake you take also decides when you finish — and therefore when your two-year stay-back begins.
At a glance
| Intakes | Sep, Jan |
|---|---|
| Destination guide | Ireland |
What the choice affects
- Course availability — January is a subset.
- Funding, which is concentrated in the main intake.
- When your stay-back starts, which matters if you are aiming at a particular hiring cycle.
- Accommodation, which is genuinely scarce in Dublin and worse before September.
Accommodation is not a footnote in Ireland. Several students accept offers and then struggle to find housing, so start that search when you accept rather than when you have a visa.
Sequence
- Apply for admission; many universities assess on a rolling basis.
- Accept and pay the deposit.
- Arrange funds and any loan sanction.
- Apply for the visa, allowing for processing.
- Secure accommodation in parallel, not afterwards.
Ireland intakes — FAQs
2 questions
Yes, smaller than September and limited to a subset of programmes. Confirm your course admits in it.
As soon as you accept an offer. Dublin housing is scarce and the shortage is worst before the September intake.
Not sure which intake to target? A counsellor works backwards from your test dates, funding and visa timeline to the intake you can actually make — free.
Sources
Checked against these sources on 1 October 2026.