University in Ireland or the UK: fees for Brits

A British teenager in Dublin can usually go to Trinity or UCD on Ireland's Free Fees, but heading "home" to a university in England can cost far more than you'd expect.

The short version

UK nationals qualify for Ireland's Free Fees Initiative if they've lived in the EU, EEA, Switzerland or UK for three of the last five years before starting [1].
Students still pay a student contribution, €2,350 (about £1,960) a year in 2026/27 [1].
Places are offered through the CAO on points: the best six Leaving Cert subjects, or up to four A-level and AS results, with a maximum of 625 points including the maths bonus [2][3][4].
For England, a UK national normally needs three years living in the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man before the course to get home fees and a loan [5].
Irish citizens living in Ireland can get home fees in England, which makes Irish citizenship a big deal for dual-national families [6].

Pound conversions use the Bank of England spot rate of 5 November 2026 (£1 = EUR 1.20).

Studying in Ireland: the Free Fees Initiative

Ireland doesn't have the £9,000-plus tuition fees you know from England. Under the Free Fees Initiative, the State pays tuition for eligible students on full-time undergraduate courses [1]. To qualify, a student must [1]:

Be a national of an EU member state, an EEA country, Switzerland or the United Kingdom.
Have been ordinarily resident in the EU, EEA, Switzerland or the UK for at least three of the five years before starting the course.
Be on their first full-time undergraduate course. Students taking a second undergraduate degree, or who already hold a postgraduate qualification, aren't covered.

The good news for Brits is that UK nationality and UK residence both still count after Brexit, so a family that moves from Bristol to Blackrock when their child is 16 should still qualify: the years in Bristol count towards the three-in-five.

Eligibility is decided by the university or college, not the Higher Education Authority, and it's assessed on the date the student starts [1]. If your situation is unusual, ask the admissions office early.

The student contribution

Free Fees doesn't mean free. Every student pays an annual student contribution, which is €2,350 (about £1,960) a year in 2026/27 [1]. Families on lower incomes can have it paid through the SUSI student grant, which has its own residence and nationality rules. On top of that, of course, there's rent, and a room in Dublin is not cheap. Our guide to renting in Dublin has the grim details.

How the CAO points system works

Almost all undergraduate places in Ireland are filled through the Central Applications Office (CAO), Ireland's version of UCAS. The big difference: there are no personal statements, predicted grades or interviews for most courses. It's about points, and places go to the highest scorers.

Key dates for 2027 entry [2]:

Apply online before 20 January for the reduced fee of €35 (about £29).
The normal closing date is 1 February at 17:00.
Courses can be reordered later in the spring and summer, and offers follow the Leaving Cert results in August.

Leaving Cert points

The CAO counts the best six results from one sitting of the Leaving Certificate [3]. A Higher Level H1 earns 100 points, an H2 88 and an H3 77, while an Ordinary Level O1 earns 56 [4]. Higher Level Maths at H6 or better earns 25 bonus points [4]. Six H1s plus the maths bonus gives the maximum of 625. Our guide to Irish schools and the Leaving Cert explains the exam itself.

A levels through the CAO

Plenty of Irish universities take students with A levels, including those who sat them at a school in Northern Ireland or back in the UK. The CAO scores up to four different subjects at A level and AS level [3]:

Grade	Each of best 3 A levels	4th A level, or an AS level/EPQ
A*	192	24
A	165	24
B	142	20
C	120	18
D	100	16
E	67	14

Source: CAO scoring scheme for GCE A and AS levels [3].

A grade E or better in A level Maths adds 25 bonus points [3]. Three A*s plus an A in a fourth subject gives 600, so with the maths bonus an A-level student can reach the same 625 as a Leaving Cert student. Many courses also have minimum entry requirements in particular subjects, so check the course page as well as the points.

Studying in the UK after growing up in Dublin

This is where many families get caught out. Home fee status in England depends on where your child has lived, not just their passport.

For England, UK nationals and Irish citizens must normally have lived in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man for the three years before the course starts, apart from temporary absences such as holidays [5]. A teenager who's spent their secondary years in Dublin won't meet that through UK residence. That matters because home students in England pay up to £9,535 in 2025/26 and £9,790 in 2026/27, covered by a tuition fee loan [7], while overseas fees are usually far higher and come with no loan.

There are two main ways through:

Your child is…	Home fees in England?	What to check
An Irish citizen (including dual British–Irish) who has lived in the UK, Islands or Ireland for 3 years	Yes, home fees and a tuition fee loan under the Common Travel Area rules [6]	Maintenance loans need 3 years in the UK and Islands, so they may not get one [6]
A UK national only who was living in the EEA or Switzerland on 31 December 2020	Possibly, under the UK nationals in the EEA category, for courses starting before 1 January 2028 [6]	Whether the university treats Ireland as covered, and the 2028 cut-off
A UK national only who moved to Ireland after 2020	Not usually, unless the temporary absence rules apply	Ask the university's fee status team for an assessment

The Irish citizenship route is worth a proper look. A child with an Irish-born grandparent may be able to register as an Irish citizen through the Foreign Births Register, and a child born in Ireland to a parent with British citizenship can often be Irish too. Our guide to Irish citizenship for Brits explains how.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland set their own fee and funding rules, and Wales has a specific notice on students living in the Common Travel Area [8]. Queen's University Belfast and Ulster University are an easy hop up the M1 from Dublin, but their fee rules depend on the student's residence too. Check with each university before your child applies.

If your child plans to come back to the UK later anyway

Some families plan a move back to the UK in time for their child to clock up three years of UK residence before university. Our guide to moving back to the UK covers home fees and school places on your return.

A quick comparison

	University in Ireland	University in England
Tuition for a Brit living in Dublin	Free Fees if eligible	Home fees only if residence rules met
Annual charge	€2,350 student contribution (2026/27)	Up to £9,790 (2026/27) at home rate
Admissions	CAO points	UCAS, with personal statement and predicted grades
Student loans	No UK-style tuition loan	Tuition fee loan for eligible home students

Then there's the question of UK student loans if your child takes one and later moves abroad; our guide to UK student loans while living abroad explains how repayments work from Dublin.

Other parents in our community group for Brits in Ireland have been through fee status assessments on both sides of the Irish Sea, so it's a good place to ask.

University in Ireland or the UK: what fees your child pays as a Brit in Dublin