National College of Art and Design

NCAD Entry Requirements
Students should be ready with the necessary documentation when applying for admission to NCAD in Ireland. It is advised that students ask the university directly for a list of required documents because it may differ depending on the country. NCAD accepts applications from eligible students from all around the world, and each application is reviewed individually. Admission to studio programmes is contingent on completing minimal academic criteria as well as submitting a portfolio. Other credentials (Third Level courses, for example) will be considered if students apply. International candidates must provide verified transcripts of their second-level or comparable exams in order to be eligible for the National College of Art and Design entry requirements. Students must submit both the original language version and a verified English translation of their transcripts. Here’s a list of the documents that are to be submitted along with the application -

• A high-school qualification from the home country equivalent to the Irish School Leaving Certificate
• Other qualifications, if any are applicable based on the course that students wish to apply for
• Certified transcripts of their second-level or equivalent examinations
• Certified copies of an English translation of their transcripts along with the original-language version
• IELTS score of 6.5 overall with a minimum score of 6 in each band/ TOEFL score of 90 overall/ PTE score of 63 overall/ Equivalent competence in the English language
• Those applying for master’s at NCAD and are from non-EU origin must submit their bachelor’s qualifications from their home country

NCAD Rankings

NCAD is the only university-level school that specialises in Art and Design and offers the broadest selection of Art and Design undergraduate and graduate degrees in the State. According to the QS World University Rankings 2022, NCAD is one of the top 100 art and design universities in the world. The National College of Art and Design rankings have been included in the top 100 for the past two years, moving up five spots, from 73 to 68, and finishing 40th overall in terms of academic reputation. Only 27 European institutions in total were featured in the top 100 rankings, with NCAD coming in at number 17. The only institution from Ireland to appear on the list for the Art and Design category is NCAD.

NCAD Fees

There are two major elements that affect the National College of Art and Design fees for undergraduate courses. They include - the Course costs and the Student contribution charge. Most first-time, undergraduate, non-repeat, EU students only pay the €3,000 Student Contribution Charge. The Irish Government covers the tuition fee for all qualified full-time, non-repeat undergraduate EU/EEA/Swiss students who satisfy the following requirements under the Higher Education Free Fees Initiative:

• Are first-time university students
• Have had a regular residence in an EU/EEA member state for at least three of the five years before enrollment to an authorised programme, or have Swiss nationality, EU/EEA nationality, or official refugee status.

Students from outside Ireland must pay the full tuition charge. Those who have not established a permanent residence in Ireland are ineligible for maintenance funds from the Irish grant agencies. NCAD's full-time programmes are on the list of authorised programmes for non-EU/EEA/Swiss students seeking employment (the Internationalisation Register of the Department of Education and Skills).

• Undergraduate courses cost around €16,500 per year, for a duration of three years and honours programmes cost around €13,500.
• The average master's tuition fee at NCAD is 16,500 EUR for a 15-month programme, with certain programmes costing between 28,000 and 29000 EUR for a two-year programme.

NCAD Placements

The NCAD Careers Service aims to equip students with the information, tools, and confidence they need to manage their creative careers on their own. Every alternate day, students can use the National College of Art and Design placement services to help them with their professional needs. Some of these services include -

• Creating a cover letter
• Preparing for interviews
• Mock interview sessions
• Helping with job opportunities in the pipeline via sources such as LinkedIn
• Career planning in terms of exploring the best options available, making the right choices, and progression
• Helping students plan their further studies 
• Any other miscellaneous career-related requirements