These figures are the general rules each university publishes. They change, and the course you want may set a higher score, so treat the table as a map and the university page as the answer. Trinity College Dublin is not covered here. The visa score is a separate rule, covered on the student visa page.
The seven universities compared
| University | General entry | Stricter cases on the page | Source date |
|---|---|---|---|
| UCD | Not re-checked here; read the page | Check the programme | Confirm on the page |
| University of Galway | 6.5 overall, no section below 6.0 | Medicine 6.5 in every part; Nursing and Midwifery 7.0 overall with 6.5; some MA courses 7.5 overall with 7.0 | No date shown |
| UCC undergraduate | 6.5 overall, 6.0 in each band | Medicine and Health 6.5 in each band; Speech and Language Therapy 7.0 overall | 17 February 2026 |
| UCC postgraduate | 6.5 overall, 6.0 in each skill | Several health and social work masters at 7.0 overall | 13 October 2026 |
| DCU | 6.5 composite, no part below 6.0 | Postgraduate Business School and School of Communications: 6.5 in writing and speaking | Page says it is being updated |
| UL | 6.5 composite, no part below 6 | Some programmes higher, not listed in the FAQ | No date shown |
| Maynooth | Not re-checked here; read the page | Check the programme | Confirm on the page |
| TU Dublin | 6.0, no part below 6 | Some programmes higher; foundation programmes 5 in each part | No date shown |
The UCD and Maynooth pages could not be opened on the day this page was checked, so no figure is given for them. Read the university page for the current rule.
Rules that sit around the score
- Test version. UL says it accepts only Academic IELTS. TU Dublin and UCC postgraduate name the Academic version, and University of Galway lists Academic IELTS with IELTS Online also accepted. UCC postgraduate accepts the test-centre and online versions. The UCC undergraduate and DCU pages do not name a version, so check them.
- One sitting. UCC undergraduate, DCU and TU Dublin say the scores must come from one sitting. UCC undergraduate adds that it will not combine component scores from different tests. The UCC postgraduate page is silent on this.
- Age of the result. UCC, DCU, TU Dublin, UL and University of Galway name a two-year limit. DCU counts it back from the start of the programme, and UCC postgraduate says no more than two years before the programme starts.
- One Skill Retake. UCC postgraduate lists it as accepted. Do not assume the same elsewhere; the UCC undergraduate page is silent on it, and the UCD and Maynooth pages should be read for their own rule. Our One Skill Retake page covers how it works.
Where courses go higher
The University of Galway page lists some MA courses at 7.5 overall with no part below 7.0, and nursing and midwifery at 7.0 overall with 6.5 in each part. The UCC postgraduate page lists several health and social work masters at 7.0 overall, some with 7.0 in every skill. DCU asks for 6.5 in writing and speaking in two postgraduate schools. Single-university detail is on the pages for UCD, Galway and UCC.
If your score is below the line
Some pages describe other routes. UL says you can apply and receive an offer that is conditional on reaching the score, and mentions pre-sessional English courses. TU Dublin has foundation programmes at a lower score. Each is the university's own decision, so ask its admissions office.
How to read a page without being misled
- Find the course page first, then the general English-language page.
- Write down the overall score and the lowest allowed part separately.
- Check the validity rule against your start date, not your application date.
- Check whether a retake or online test is named as accepted.
This is general information from the named pages, not admissions advice. A score on one of these pages is a condition for a university, not a promise of a place.
How lessons with Mike can help with this
If you know the numbers you need, lessons can focus on the skill that is furthest from them. Mike, a Cambridge CELTA-qualified teacher based in Hanoi with 12+ years teaching English and IELTS in Vietnam, Turkey and Iran and an 8.5 in IELTS Speaking, teaches every session himself, one to one, live on Google Meet, in English. He marks Writing Task 1 and Task 2 against the public band descriptors and runs Speaking Parts 1 to 3 in the real format. See about Mike or book a lesson; the booking calendar shows each slot in your own time zone, and the exact price is shown before you pay.
