Mature students
All undergraduate courses in Trinity are open to mature applicants. Mature student applicants are not required to satisfy the normal matriculation requirements and are not required to meet competitive academic entry levels, e.g., Leaving Certificate points, but are considered in the first instance on the basis of how relevant their life, work and educational experiences are to the course(s) that they wish to pursue.
In addition, all applicants should demonstrate an interest in and a knowledge of their course choice(s).
In order to apply to Trinity as a mature applicant you must:
- be an EU applicant
- be at least 23 years of age on 1st January of the year of admission
- submit a CAO application form to the Central Applications Office (CAO) by 1 February of the year of admission
- submit a Trinity College Mature Student Supplementary Application Form (required for all CAO courses with the exception of nursing) to the Admissions Office by 1 February of the year of admission.
Late applications will not be considered from mature students. If posting your application form to Trinity College please retain proof of postage.
CAO applications may be made online at www.cao.ie
TCD Mature Student Supplementary Application Forms should be obtained from and returned to the Admissions Office, Regent House, Trinity College, Dublin 2. Tel: +353 1 896 4444.
Applicants to all courses may be required to attend an interview. Interviews are held between mid-March and the end of April.
Certain courses may also require applicants to meet other assessment criteria:
- applicants to Engineering, MSISS, Engineering with management and Computer Science courses are required to present HC3 in Leaving Certificate mathematics or equivalent
- applicants to English may be required to write an essay
- applicants to Music are required to attend a written test (see course information for further details)
- applicants to Nursing will be required to sit the Nursing Careers Centre written assessment (see www.nursingboard.ie).
- applicants to Psychology will be required to attend an aptitude test.
- applicants to Medicine must present a Grade B and a Grade C in two of Biology and Chemistry or Physics at higher Leaving Certificate level or equivalent. All applicants must sit the HPAT-Ireland admissions test which will take place on 25th February, 2012. HPAT-Ireland test results will assist with short-listing candidates for interview. CAO applications for Medicine must be made online. One to two places will be reserved for applicants with backgrounds in the Arts and Humanities.
Please refer to the publication Mature Students Guidelines (PDF406KB) available with the application form for information on additional assessment for specific courses.
Trinity will aim to inform mature applicants of the outcome of their application before the end of May to allow successful applicants the maximum time possible to prepare for the start of the academic year. Official offers to successful applicants are made through the CAO in early July. To secure your place you must return a formal acceptance notice to the CAO by the specified reply date.
An information session on preparing for College will take place for all successful mature applicants in July 2012. An orientation programme for all successful mature applicants will take place in September 2012.
For further information on studying in TCD as a mature student please contact the mature student officer, phone +353 1 896 1386, e-mail: mature.student.officer@tcd.ie or visit www.tcd.ie/maturestudents
A seminar providing advice and information on making an application to TCD for prospective mature students will take place on Thursday 12 January 2012 from 5 pm to 6 pm. This seminar will be repeated from 6 pm to 7 pm. Please visit the mature students website in December 2011 for more information: www.tcd.ie/maturestudents.