How you get in
School leavers and mature applicants through the CAO
You pick a discipline when you apply rather than later, so general, mental health, intellectual disability, children's and general integrated, and midwifery are separate CAO courses with their own points. Clinical placements start in first year, not at the end.
Everyone who qualifies
The degree alone does not let you work. Registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland is a legal requirement, and you cannot practise as a nurse in Ireland without it. Completing all the theory and clinical practice modules across the four years is what makes you eligible for it.
What you need to get in
Leaving Certificate minimums vary a little between universities. The rows below are the University of Limerick requirements for the BSc in General Nursing, which are typical of the field.
| Requirement | What you need | |
|---|---|---|
| Six subjects | Two H5 and four O6, or four H7 | The overall spread |
| Laboratory science | O6 or H7 | Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Physics and Chemistry, or Agricultural Science |
| Mathematics | Required subject | |
| English | Required subject | |
| Irish or another language | Required subject | Irish is not compulsory here |
Two things to note. The laboratory science requirement is the one that quietly rules people out, because it has to be chosen years earlier at subject choice. And unlike primary teaching, Irish is not compulsory: another language does instead. Minimum grades only make you eligible, and the points needed in practice are considerably higher, sitting in the low four hundreds in recent years.
Why the final year is different
The fourth year is a rostered internship rather than ordinary study. You work as part of the team, on the roster, and you are paid for it. That makes nursing the odd one out among the college routes on this site: teaching charges you fees for every one of its years, while nursing pays you back for the last one. The rate is set nationally and changes, so check the current figure rather than an old one.
What you earn, during and after
Fees for the first three years, and no earnings from the course. The fourth year is different: the rostered internship is paid, which softens the end of the degree considerably. Budget as though three years cost you money and the fourth does not.
You qualify onto the staff nurse scale. Basic pay is only part of it in practice, because shift work brings premiums: Sundays pay double, night duty adds a quarter, and public holidays carry their own rates.
Figures from Department of Health Circular 2/2026, effective 1 June 2026. See every point of the scale.
Where things stand right now
Nursing is applied for through the CAO, on the same timetable as every other degree. Applications open in November, the ordinary deadline falls on 1 February and late applications close on 1 May. Unlike the Gardai or the Prison Service, this route runs to a fixed annual calendar, so nothing here opens or closes unexpectedly.
Checked 20 August 2026
Questions people actually ask
How do you become a nurse in Ireland?
What subjects do you need to study nursing in Ireland?
How long does it take to become a nurse in Ireland?
Do student nurses get paid in Ireland?
How much does a nurse earn in Ireland?
Do you need Irish to be a nurse in Ireland?
How many points do you need for nursing in Ireland?
Can I do nursing as a mature student?
What is NMBI registration and do I need it?
Which type of nursing should I apply for?
Before you apply
Everything on this page comes from official sources and was checked in 2026. Entry rules, closing dates and selection stages still change from one competition to the next, and sometimes overnight. Before you apply, read the official version yourself. That is the one that counts.