Ireland

Undergraduate entry requirements for students from Ireland.

To apply for a place at Edinburgh, you’ll need qualifications, a personal statement and a reference. You will also need to provide evidence of your English language skills through qualifications.

The qualifications and grades you need vary by degree and may include admissions tests, portfolios, interviews or evidence of relevant work experience. We call these our entry requirements. 

Qualifications we accept

We welcome applications from students studying for the Irish Leaving Certificate (ILC). 

Entry requirements

When you view a programme on our degree finder, you will see entry requirements for UK qualifications called A Levels, GCSEs and other qualifications you may require for entry.

The grades needed in order to be entered into the selection process will depend on the degree programme you have applied to. Minimum grades for degrees in each of our three Colleges are listed below.

For some degrees, demand for places is much higher than places available, so applicants who meet the requirements to be entered into the selection process are not guaranteed an offer.

Required subjects

For some degrees, you may also see a list of ‘required subjects’, detailed on our degree finder. Where we ask applicants who are taking GCE A levels or GCSEs in specific subjects, we will ask you for comparable subjects at a comparable level in your qualification. Where this is the case, your qualifications must:

  • include the specific subject/s listed for your degree, and
  • meet, or exceed, the grades specified

For A level subject requirements you must be taking the required subject at Higher Level in your ILC. For GCSE subject requirements we can consider the required subject at Higher or Ordinary Level in your ILC.

A Level subject requirements and the equivalent ILC qualifications
A Level subject requirementILC equivalent qualification
Subject at A*Subject at H1
Subject at ASubject at H2
Subject at BSubject at H3
GCSE subject requirements and the equivalent ILC qualifications
GCSE subject requirementILC equivalent qualification
Subject at A/7Subject at H4 or O1/O2
Subject at B/6Subject at H4 or O3
Subject at C/4Subject at H4 or O4

 

Search for your degree’s A Level entry requirements

In the undergraduate degree finder, you can view your degree’s minimum A Level entry requirements, as well as English language requirements.

Degree finder

What grades you need

The minimum grades required to enter the selection process for degree programmes in the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Science are:

Award of ILC with H2 in three subjects and H3 in a further three subjects.

For many degrees, demand for places is much higher than places available and so the grades you need in order to receive an offer may be much higher than those published above as required to enter the selection process.


The minimum grades required to enter the selection process for degree programmes in the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine are:

Biomedical Sciences

Award of ILC with H2 in six subjects, which must include Biology and Chemistry. Mathematics must be achieved to at least grade O3/H4 and English to grade O4/H4.

MBChB Medicine 

Award of ILC with H1 in two subjects and H2 in a further four subjects. Subjects must include Chemistry and two from Mathematics; Biology/Human Biology or Physics; at either grade.  Mathematics must be achieved to a minimum of O1 or H4 if not taken as one of the required subjects; and English to a minimum of O1 or H4.

BVM&S Veterinary Medicine 

Award of ILC with H1 in Biology and Chemistry and H2 in a further four subjects.  English must be achieved to a minimum of O1 or H4.


The minimum grades required to enter the selection process for degree programmes in the College of Science and Engineering are:

Award of ILC with H2 in three subjects and H3 in a further three subjects.

For many degrees, demand for places is much higher than places available and so the grades you need in order to receive an offer may be much higher than those published above as required to enter the selection process.


What to include in your application

You must submit a fully completed UCAS application that includes:

  • a personal statement
  • a reference
  • full details of all achieved qualifications, as well as any you are taking this year

Predicted grades

We need to see predicted grades for all qualifications you have not yet completed. This includes each subject you are taking in your final qualifications, so that we can ensure you meet all entry requirements.

Without predicted grades we cannot assess your application fully, and it is very unlikely to be considered in the selection process.

Although predicted grades should be added by your referee in the appropriate section of the UCAS application form, it is your responsibility to check that this has been done.   

How to apply

Contact us

If you have further questions about EU entry requirements or undergraduate applications, please use our undergraduate enquiry form.

Undergraduate enquiry form

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