Explore UCD

UCD Home >

International and Year Abroad Students

UCD - Ireland's global university

Dublin is the 31st best city in the world for international students, according to QS Best Student Cities 2017. The Irish capital shared the position with Madrid. Montréal was number one, displacing Paris after its four consecutive years at the top.

UCD has 27,500 students with 25% coming from abroad to study in Dublin. The QS rankings are based on six categories: Affordability, Desirability, Employer Activity, University Rankings, Student Mix and Student View.

Dublin scored 83 out of 100 in the Student Mix category, “reflecting its high concentration of students and high ratio of international students.” It achieved 81 out of 100 in Student View based on a survey of over 18,000 students and graduates.  “It is a very beautiful and diverse city; you can make friends from all over the world,” said one survey respondent.

UCD is Ireland's global university and the university of choice for US students coming to Ireland. The School of Psychology is Ireland's leading school of psychology, and many US psychology majors have continued their graduate education in our School.

Each year a number of places are reserved for Non-EU applicants in the School of Psychology. Applications from Non-EU students are reviewed on an ongoing basis and applicants are advised of the outcome within two months of application. The Graduate Record Exam is not required but a minimum GPA of 3.4 applies.

English Language Requirements

Teaching in Irish Universities is normally through the medium of English, therefore all applicants are required to demonstrate a high level of competence in the English language. Applicants whose first language is not English, and who are not presenting the subject English in a school-leaving examination which is at least of pass Leaving Certificate standard (for example GCSE grade C) must meet the minimum English Language Requirements in relation to TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or IELTS (International English Language Testing System). You can find out more about the English Language Requirements at UCD by visiting the UCD International website

Scholarships & Finance

To find out about scholarship opportunities and how to finance your study in UCD, visit the Scholarships and Awards section of our site.

UCD International

UCD's international office provides information, support and guidance to international students who are thinking about or who have decided to study at UCD. 

Visit the UCD International website to find out all about UCD, Dublin and Ireland.

Talk to Us

If you are a US or other Non-EU student wishing to find out more about studying psychology in UCD, contact Dr Laura Taylor at (opens in a new window)laura.taylor@ucd.ie to organise a time to chat about your options and the opportunities and benefits that you will enjoy studying in UCD.

If you are studying the BSc in Psychology at UCD, you may choose to apply to study abroad for your third year in France, Spain, The Netherlands, Germany or the US. You apply for this option in second year, spend third year studying abroad, and return to UCD to complete your final, fourth year of study. If you spend this additional year in one of UCD's partnership universities studying your degree, and successfully complete the academic programme abroad as well as in UCD, you will graduate with a BSc (International) in Psychology after four years' of study.

Just like the BSc in Psychology, the BSc (International) in Psychology provides a general academic training in psychology. The BSc and BSc (International) degree in Psychology in UCD is a foundation and gateway for further postgraduate professional training in all branches of psychology including clinical, counselling and health psychology.

The School of Psychology has exchange agreements with the following universities:

  • Université Catholique de l'Ouest, France
  • Universidad Pontificia Comillas de Madrid, Spain
  • Free University, Berlin, Germany
  • University of Groningen, the Netherlands

Places may be limited and are allocated based on academic performance in the first year of the BSc in Psychology degree.

It is mandatory to take a minimum of 20 ECTS credits at your host institution in psychology, or a discipline cognate to psychology. The School of Psychology will approve your study-abroad plan only where this minimum number of 20 ECTS credits is guaranteed.

Secondary School Students
If you are finishing secondary school and want to complete the BSc (International) in Psychology, then you should apply for the BSc in Psychology. In second year, students are invited to apply for the extra year studying abroad. If you then receive a place and successfully complete the academic programme in UCD and in the university abroad, you will graduate after four years with a BSc (International). To find out how to apply for the BSc in Psychology and to receive updates on information events for secondary school students, please visit (opens in a new window)www.myucd.ie and click on the link in the top right of the page (opens in a new window)Sign up for updates!

UCD School of Psychology

Newman Building, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.