Admission Procedures

Application Process

Incoming Erasmus students for 2024/25 (and their coordinators) are requested to read carefully the information given here in relation to applying to University of Galway.

University of Galway uses an online applications system for incoming Erasmus students.  A link to the online form will be sent to the e-mail addresses of all students who are formally nominated by their home universities to begin Erasmus studies at University of Galway in September.    The deadline for applications (Semester 1 or full year) will be 31st May, 2024.  The Semester 2 application deadline will be 31st October 2024.  Students nominated for Semester 2 will receive a link to the online application form later in the year.

The Erasmus Coordinator in your own university will select students to come to University of Galway.  The nomination of students is based on bilateral exchange agreements in specific subject areas.

Erasmus coordinators at our partner universities should advise us of their 2024/25 student nominations.  We have also provided a page specifically for them, Information for Coordinators, which they are kindly requested to read carefully.  

Students: After being nominated, you will be e-mailed online University of Galway Erasmus Application Form for 2024/25 which you will have to complete.  But first, please read the following important information.

• Questions 5, 6, 7:  Only provide your "PERMANENT HOME ADDRESS"  on your form:  ensure that this address is complete, and that it includes your  city and postcode.  Do not translate your address into  English  - this is not necessary.
  
  
• Question 9: The "PERSONAL E-MAIL ADDRESS" you provide will be used to contact you regarding your application.  Please ensure that you have written your e-mail address correctly.
• Question 18: ACADEMIC COORDINATOR AT UNIVERSITY of GALWAY -  list of coordinators.  Please do not write in the name of an International Office staff member unless you are a student from Malta (exception: Maths), Uppsala (exceptions: Languages, Medicine) or Utrecht (exception: Film Studies). 
• Question 19: PROPOSED STUDY PLANS: Only list your area of study Languages/Business. You are only permitted to take modules from your area of study relating to the bilateral agreement between the University of Galway and your home university. Students of Languages and Humanities will usually be permitted to take some courses from other subject areas within the College of Arts, according to the lists provided in the Academic Handbook.
• Please note that we can only accept applications from students who have been nominated by the Erasmus coordinator in the home institution, and where there is a valid Erasmus Bilateral Agreement between that institution and University of Galway in the relevant subject area. 

Please be sure to observe our  DEADLINES: midnight (GMT) on 31st May, 2024 for Semester 1 or Full Year applicants, and midnight (GMT) on 31st October, 2024 for Semester 2 applicants.  Our online system will close on the dates of the respective deadlines, and no further applications can be submitted after that.

How we will communicate with you

Stage 1: A brief e-mail of acknowledgement will be sent to students whose applications have been received.  Please check your spam/junk mail folder, as legitimate e-mails can often end up there. 

Stage 2: We will check all applications to make sure that (i) they are from properly nominated students from our partner universities,  (ii) accompanying documentation (Science/Medicine/Engineering) has been provided to the relevant academic coordinators, and (iii) there is no information missing or in need of clarification.
If your application is approved, you will receive a confirmation of acceptance by e-mail from the International Affairs Officer at University of Galway - probably in late June for Semester 1 or full year students, and in the second half of November for Semester 2 students.  Please read the acceptance e-mail carefully and make sure all your details are correct.

If you need a hard copy acceptance letter, e.g. for visa purposes, please let us know in good time.  

If, for some reason, you are unable to avail of your study place at this University, please advise the International Affairs Office in writing as soon as possible. 

Stage 3: We'll be in touch again about a month before Orientation to invite you to activate your campus e-mail account and upload an ID photograph.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation, and we look forward to welcoming you to University of Galway!

Your Learning Agreement

University of Galway does not have a deadline for receipt of learning agreements from incoming Erasmus students. This is entirely a matter for your home university, and you should ask your home university coordinator for guidance. Please be sure to select only courses that are available to visiting students.  You will be required to select modules in the subject area set out in the bilateral agreement between your university and ours, and you should consult your home university coordinator if in doubt.  Students of Languages will usually be permitted to take some courses from other subject areas within the College of Arts, according to the lists provided in the Visiting Student Handbook.

Your Learning Agreement should be sent directly to your University of Galway Academic Coordinator.  Only if you are a student from Malta (exception; Maths), Utrecht (exception: Film Studies) or Uppsala (exceptions:  Languages and Medicine) should you send your Learning Agreement to the International Affairs Office.  Maths students from Malta, Film Studies students from Utrecht, and Languages/Medical students from Uppsala should send their learning agreements to the relevant academic coordinators.

Here is some information to help you in filling in the Learning Agreement:

FACULTY: at University of Galway, Faculties are referred to as "Colleges" and there are five of them. They are called:

College of Arts, Social Sciences and Celtic Studies (it will suffice to write "Arts") 
College of Business, Public Policy and Law (it will suffice to write either "Business" or "Law") 
College of Science & Engineering and Informatics (it will suffice to write either "Science" or "Engineering") 
College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Science (it will suffice to write "Medicine" or "Nursing")

DEPARTMENT: at University of Galway, this will mean the Discipline or School you are based in, according to the bilateral agreement between your university and ours, and you can find a list of Disciplines/Schools on the Colleges and Schools page. Ask your home university coordinator if you are uncertain. If your main area of study is English literature/philology, you should write "Languages". 

University of Galway's address is University Road, Galway, Ireland

University of Galway's Erasmus code is IRLGALWAY01.

The country code for Ireland is IE.

The " RESPONSIBLE PERSON" will be your academic coordinator at NUI Galway, the person who must sign your learning agreement on behalf of this university. The "responsible person" is not the institutional coordinator or anyone in the International Affairs Office, unless you are a student from Malta, Uppsala or Utrecht coming here on an "All Subjects" or "Humanities" exchange. You will find the names of all academic coordinators here.

Orientation Programme

In September and January each year, orientation programmes are organised to provide newly-arrived international students with practical information and advice about living in Galway, to inform them about the services and facilities of the University, and to introduce them to Student Services personnel as well as relevant academic and administrative staff.  Within the main Orientation Programme, there will be a special session for Erasmus students, where various procedures and paperwork (in relation to the Erasmus programme and registration of subjects)

The orientation sessions are designed to help the student to settle into university life and the new environment as quickly and easily as possible. The programme also includes guided tours of the campus, and a historical walking tour of Galway city usually takes place on the Saturday following the main orientation session.

All new Erasmus students are strongly advised to attend the Orientation Programme.  

Knowledge of English

Most lectures are conducted through the medium of English.  A small number of courses are offered through the Irish language only.  A good knowledge of English is therefore essential.

At University of Galway, we do not have a specific exam-based requirement in relation to Erasmus students’ level of English,, we do ask that incoming students have a good command of the English language, both written and spoken, so that they will be able to follow lectures, work with English-language textbooks, participate in small-group coursework, and write their assignments and exams without undue difficulty.

We would suggest that students should have attained at least Level B2 on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. 

This is a guideline only; you are not required to provide any particular certificate of language competence when you make your application, but you should bear in mind that students with limited ability in English are likely to encounter difficulty in reading and discussing academic texts with specialised vocabulary and abstract concepts. 

If you feel that your level of English might not be adequate, then we would strongly advise that you work on improving it in the months before starting your Erasmus studies at University of Galway.

While a good command of English is an important requirement, we naturally recognise that one of the main purposes of the study period is to improve language performance.  English-language classes (at various ability levels) are offered free of charge for a five-week period at the beginning of each semester.  More details will be provided at Orientation.

Immigration Procedures

Students who are EU citizens do not need visas to enter Ireland.  Students from non-EU countries should note that they may need visas to enter Ireland and that they will be asked to produce proof of their acceptance at University of Galway upon their arrival in Ireland, i.e. at the airport.  You can find out more about visa requirements on the Department of Justice website.

Visa application, you will be required to present a formal acceptance letter (hard copy) from University of Galway.  As our acceptances are normally issued by e-mail, you will need to inform the International Affairs Office if you require such a letter.  It is entirely your responsibility to ensure that you make the request in good time so as to allow 6 – 8 weeks for your visa application to be processed.  Visa applications should be made to the Irish Embassy or Consulate in the country in which you reside.  If there is no embassy or consulate, you can make the application to your nearest Irish Embassy or Consulate, or directly to the Visa Office, Dept of Foreign Affairs, 13-14 Burgh Quay, Dublin 2. 

Please do not delay in making your visa application: we have seen several cases where students did not allow enough time to secure their visa and had to delay their travel to Ireland. This meant that they not only incurred additional financial costs but also had their study plans disrupted by having missed the all-important early weeks of the semester.  Please allow at least 8 weeks for the processing of your visa application.

Non-EU students should advise the International Affairs Office in University of Galway of their exact time and date of arrival at least one week in advance.

Non-EU visiting students who remain longer than three months in Ireland will be required to register with the immigration authorities within one month of arrival.  At the orientation session you will be advised of the exact procedures involved in registering with the immigration authorities.