Applicant Support

A mature applicant is someone who 23 years of age or older on 1st of January in the year they are applying to a full time undergraduate programme. It is usually those who have never completed an undergraduate degree before.

If you previously began an undergraduate programme but never finished it or hold an undergradute degree, you are still able to apply as a mature student. We encourage prospective applicants to reach out to the Mature Student Office or admissions at UL if you are in either of these categories, as it may have an impact on your funding and fees.

Mature students can apply for any undergraduate programme.

Information on all undergraduate programmes offered by UL can be found in the UL prospectus, available online here

An undergraduate course is generally a course which is offered by a higher education institution and which is placed at between levels 6 to 8 on the National Framework of Qualifications. The majority of full-time undergraduate courses offered by the University of Limerick are what are known as Honours Bachelors Degree (Level 8) courses and involve up to four years of full-time study.

A  limited number of part-time undergraduate programmes are also available in UL information on these are available from the Graduate and Professional Studies Department.

Applications are made through the CAO by 1st February. The CAO opens for applications usually in November of the preceding year. All other supporting documentation (copies of results, CV, personal statements, birth certs etc) must be posted to the CAO. Such documents must arrive in CAO within ten days of the submission of the online application. Visit www.cao.ie for more details.

Further information on the application process is available from the Undergraduate Admissions Office (T:061-202015; E: www.ul.ie/admissions-askus).

Mature students can apply for up to 10 full-time Level 8 programmes and up to 10 full-time Level 6 or 7 programmes on the same application through the CAO. You can apply for courses at multiple levels and in multiple Higher Education Institutes (HEIs). Each course and HEI has it's own requirements for mature applicants, so it is important to check these carefully.

The closing date for mature student applications is 1st February. All applications have to be made through the CAO.

Late applications may be accepted for some programmes up until 1st May. Please check with our Undergraduate Admissions office for further details.

Please note that if you apply late for a course that is no longer accepting applicants, you may still be charged for your CAO application.

Students should include certified copies of any qualifications that they include in their application. You can also include other supporting documents such as letters of reference, samples of work or proof of language proficiency. For documents not in English, a copy of a certified translation should be provided.

For many mature applicants applying to UL through the CAO, a personal statement or essay is included as part of the mature student requirements. This is in addition to the CAO Statement of Interest.

Documents that are stamped by a notary or school are considered to be certified copies. Copies should be A4 in size and have your CAO number at the top of each page. Please make sure your get a certificate of postage when sending your documents. This will help if your documents are lost or delayed.

The closing date for applications is 1^st February. Mature student applications are processed and interviews are held (where applicable) during the months of April / May / June.

For further information please contact the Undergraduate Admissions Office at 061-202015 or www.ul.ie/admissions-askus

Mature student applications are assessed by academic staff. Each application is considered on an individual basis. Academic qualifications, work/life experience, motivation and overall potential to be successful on your chosen programme of study are considered and evaluated, usually by means of an interview. Applicants may be short-listed depending on the number of applications received for a particular programme. Please bear in mind when applying that some programmes in UL may look for specific academic requirements prior to entry e.g. some Engineering programmes will usually require applicants to have higher level Leaving Certificate Mathematics.

Applicants who are successful at the interview stage will receive an offer of a place through the CAO in Round A (usually early July), unless they have also received an offer from another college, based on a higher preference on their CAO form. Unsuccessful applicants may seek feedback on their application from the Undergraduate Admissions Office.

As the applications are processed, the Undergraduate Admissions Office will let applicants know whether or not they have been deemed eligible for a place on a programme. This generally happens in May/June.

Offers are formally made through the CAO in Round A  (in early July) Applicants may be deemed eligible for a number of courses but will only be offered their highest preference for which they are eligible i.e. only one offer will be issued through the CAO.

The vast majority of UL courses, full-time and part-time, generally start in early September each year.

Have a look at our financing your studies page. Alternatively, the Fees Office can provide further information on the qualifying criteria for the Free Fees Initiative and on EU/non EU fees. Contact the Fees Office on 061-202026 or at student.fees.office@ul.ie

The best source of information on grants and other financial support is available from http://www.studentfinance.ie/ or have a look at our financing your studies page.

There are Higher Education Grants available to eligible students i.e. those entering approved full time undergraduate courses of at least two years duration or postgraduate courses of at least one years duration, for the first time, and who satisfy the relevant conditions as to age, residence, means and nationality.

All new applications for the higher education grant are now made through SUSI - Student Universal Support Ireland.  Please apply for your grant early; you do not need to know the exact course you will be attending in order to make an application.

For further information on grants & allowances, please check out http://www.studentfinance.ie/

Full information on the BTEA, and on how to apply, can be obtained from your local Department of Social Protection Office.

UL Careers Service provides information on the various career options available with a UL degree.

Have a look at our supports for mature students page to see what is available to you.

No. The CAO Statement of Interest which is part of the CAO Mature Student Application is part of your online application and is sent to all HEIs that you apply to. For example, if you applying to study Arts at University of Limerick and University College Cork, both would see the same Statement of Interest that you have submitted online.

The UL Mature Student Requirements vary from course to course but many require a cover letter, personal statement or essay that needs to be submitted for each undergraduate course you are applying to at UL. Only the UL admissions team, CAO and relevant members of faculty will see this.