Recognised courses - A guide for international students
How do I find out if the course I'm applying for is recognised and approved?
It is very important to make checks about your course before you apply - and especially before paying any fees - to ensure that it is being offered by a reputable college and that any qualification it leads to will be of value. Over recent years, a small number of unscrupulous operators have been discovered attempting to exploit international students. You are therefore advised to research any course and college thoroughly.
If you are a non-EEA citizen, you will only be able to work part-time while you study if you are attending a course recognised by the Department of Education and Skills (DES). The place to make checks is the internationalisation register, a spreadsheet produced by the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland (NQAI) on behalf of the DES.
Further and Higher Education courses that lead to recognised qualifications appear on the second tab of the spreadsheet. Private colleges on the listing must have arrangements in place to protect learners on courses lasting 3 months or more if they cease operations.
English language programmes appear on the third tab of the spreadsheet. These are quality assured and inspected by the Advisory Council for English Language Schools (ACELS), part of the NQAI, which also provides a regional directory of approved English Language schools. MEI, an association of approved English Language schools, offers a similar directory.
Courses on the Internationalisation Register are approved for access to employment for students who are not EU/EEA/Swiss nationals. However, the inclusion of a private college does not imply any judgement on its financial status or viability.
What if a course is not listed?
If the institution or course you are enquiring about is not listed in the Internationalisation Register you can make further checks with Education Ireland - www.educationireland.ie - part of Enterprise Ireland, the government agency which promotes Irish business and education abroad.
Last updated: May 2010