Am I an EU or Non-EU applicant?

An EU applicant is a person:

1. who is ordinally resident¹ in the EU²

AND

• who will have received full-time post primary education AND/OR
• who has worked full-time³ in the EU for three of the five years immediately preceding admission to Trinity

OR

2. who has

• official refugee status⁴ or has been granted humanitarian leave to remain in the State AND
• who has been ordinarily resident in the EU² for three of the five years immediately preceding admission to Trinity.

Important notes:

1. For students aged under 23, the student's parent(s) must also have been ordinarily resident (that is - principal residence for the purpose of taxation) in an EU2 Member State for three of the five years prior to the student's entry to Trinity.

2. EU, EEA countries (Norway, Iceland and Lichtenstein), Swiss Confederation or United Kingdom.

3. Where an applicant can show that they have been in receipt of social welfare payments this may be taken in lieu of full-time employment.

4. Applicants who have written confirmation that they have been allowed to come to Ireland as part of the family re-unification scheme may also be eligible.

5. The Admissions Team may contact some applicants in order to seek supporting documentation regarding their status (EU/non-
EU).

6. Children of emigrants may be assessed as EU applicants if they can provide documentary evidence of having completed 5+ years of primary and/or secondary education in the EU/EEA/Swiss Confederation or United Kingdom and have no previous third-level attendance.

All other applications are considered to be non-EU applications.

Additional Notes and Restrictions

1) For students aged under 23, the students parent(s) must also have been "ordinarily resident" in the EU for three of the five years prior to the student's admissions to Trinity College Dublin.
2) Applicants who have written confirmation that they have been allowed to come to Ireland as part of the family re-unification scheme may also be eligible.
3) Children of emigrants may be assessed as EU applicants if they can provide documentary evidence of having completed 5+ years of primary and/or secondary education in the EU/EEA/or Swiss Confederation or United Kingdom and have no previous third-level attendance.
All undergraduate applicants who do not meet this criteria are defined as Non-EU.

Eligibility for the Irish Free Fees Initiative

In order to qualify for the Irish Free Fees Initiative you must have been living in the EU for at least 3 of the 5 years before starting your course.
You must also fulfil one of the following criteria: 
You must:

1. Be a citizen of the EU or
2. Have official refugee status or
3. Be a family member of a refugee and have been granted permission to live in the State or
4. Be a family member of an EU national and have permission to live in the State, with a stamp “4EUFAM” on your residence card or
5. Have been granted humanitarian leave to remain in the State or
6. Have been granted permission to remain in the State by the Minister for Justice and Equality, following a determination by the Minister not to make a deportation order under Section 3 of the Immigration Act 1999.

You must also fulfil all of the following course requirements:

7. You must be undertaking a full-time undergraduate course of at least 2 years' duration.
8. You must be a first-time full-time undergraduate.
   (However, prior undergraduate qualifications may be taken into consideration where exemptions are provided to a student pursuing a higher undergraduate qualification, to a maximum of Level 8 on the National Framework of Qualifications.)
9. In general, you must not be repeating the year because of failing your exams or changing course. This exclusion may be waived if you repeat a year due to certified serious illness.
    

Additional Notes and Restrictions
Students who acquire EU/EEA citizenship up to 31st January in an academic year may be entitled to free tuition fees from the second half of the academic year.
Students who acquire EU/EEA citizenship from 1st February may be entitled to free tuition fees from the commencement of the next academic year. In order to be eligible under this ‘Change of Nationality’ clause, students must have met all other criteria of the Irish Free Fees Initiative apart from nationality at date of entry to their course of study.

A PG EU application is one made by a person who fulfils one or more of the following criteria:

• Ordinarily resident in the EU, EEA, Swiss Confederation or United Kingdom and who has received full-time further or higher education in the EU for three of the five years immediately preceding admission or
• Ordinarily resident in the EU, EEA, Swiss Confederation or United Kingdom and has worked full-time in the EU for three of the five years immediately preceding admission or
• Holds a passport from an EU State, EEA, Swiss Confederation or United Kingdom and has received full-time further or higher education in the EU for three of the five years immediately preceding admission.

Applications from children of the following are treated as EU applications:

• EU government officials living abroad
• Semi-state officials who are on assignment in countries outside the EU
• Volunteer development workers
• Certain EU officials as approved by the Department of Foreign Affairs

 All other applications are considered Non-EU applications. Students who have had periods of residence outside the EU are required to provide documentary evidence for their claim for EU fee status. This evidence must be presented with the application. If required for admission purposes please find the EU or Non-EU Status Form.

What is the early thesis submission charge?

Students must be registered and have paid full fees for the year at the time of their thesis submission.

Full Time Students on a 4-year programme:

• are permitted to submit their thesis after 2 years with no penalty. The student is liable for 2 years fees only.

Part-Time Students on a 6-year programme:

• are permitted to submit their thesis after 3 years but incur a penalty. The student will be liable for the equivalent of the 3-year full-time fees for the specific course.
  
• are permitted to submit their thesis after 4 years but incur a penalty. The student will be liable for the equivalent of the 4-year full-time fees for the specific course
• are permitted to submit their thesis after 5 years. The student will be liable for the equivalent of the 6-year part-time fees for the specific course in line with the expectation that they would have normally registered for 6 years.

What are the fee implications if I withdraw?

Fee liability is based on the official withdrawal date as determined by the Dean/PG Cases - therefore, it is the responsibility of the student to inform their tutor as soon as they decide they wish to withdraw from the course.

If the student withdraws before registering, they may be entitled to a full refund of any tuition fees paid. However, deposits are non-refundable.

Withdrawal date	Withdrawal date	Fee Implication
September entrant student	Withdrawal prior to 31st January	Liable for 50% TF and 100% SLC
	Withdrawal prior to 31st January	Liable for 100% TF and 100% SLC
January entrant student	Withdrawal prior to 30th April	Liable for 50% TF and 100% SLC If withdrawal is after this date, student is liable for full fees.
March entrant student	Withdrawal prior to 1st July	Liable for 50% TF and 100% SLC If withdrawal is after this date, student is liable for full fees.

What fees am I liable for if I go off books and return from off books?

As a student you are expected to pursue your postgraduate course continuously unless permitted by the Dean of Graduate Studies to interrupt it by going ‘off-books’. The date of the commencement of the off books period is determined by the Dean/PG Cases and the fee liability will be calculated accordingly.

Students who go off-books from the start of the academic year are not liable for fees for that academic year, and they will be billed at the rate of fees applicable to the academic year of their return. Permission to go ‘off-books’ is given for a definite duration and the onus is on the student to ensure that they resume their studies at the designated time as otherwise they will be considered ‘withdrawn’ from the programme.

Students returning from mid-year ‘off books’ period – student is liable to pay any fees owed for academic year during which the student went ‘off-books’ to register for the current academic year. No further fees are generated for these students in the current academic year.

For more information you can visit the student cases webpage.

What will my course fees be if I transfer to a different course?

The decision to transfer course must be agreed by School and PG Cases. The new course fees will apply (resulting in potential outstanding liability or refund).

What are the fee implications if I do a continuation year?

A continuation year is an extra year after the student has already completed the normal number of years of their course. The decision to do a continuation year must be approved by the Dean of Graduate Studies. The student will be liable for the full fees for a continuation year.