According to the data provided by StudyMedicinePoland.com (SMP) Poland has become the most popular choice for Irish students wanting to pursue medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine abroad. Currently, there about 850 Irish students reported in Poland, with almost 400 studying veterinary medicine. The phenomenon is so widespread that WUELS (Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences), which has consitently been admitting around 30 Irish students per year to study veterinary medicine, now has its own GAA team.
The main motivation behind the decision to study in Poland is the different way in which points are calculated during the application process. CAO points for medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine remain among the highest in Ireland: in 2025 the minimum entry requirements for medicine were 739 points at Trinity and 738 points at UCD, 589 points for veterinary medicine (UCD) and 625 points for dental science (TCD). While CAO points are calculated based on the results of all six best scoring Leaving Cert subjects, in Poland the admission to these degreees at public universities is guided solely based on the grades obtained in sciences. This creates an advantage for students who do well in biology, chemistry, physics and mathematics, while scoring lower in languages and social sciences, which they would not otherwise have in Ireland. Other degrees in Poland also take into consideration only grades from subjects connected to the desired degree, a system very different from that used by the CAO.
Another reason for choosing Poland are the course fees and cost of living, which are substantially lower than in the UK or other English-speaking private routes. While the cost is still not low – Medicine in Warsaw costs €11,100 per year and €11,739 in Gdańsk, veterinary medicine €10,900 in Warsaw and a little over €9,000 in Wrocław – they are lower than, or similar to prices at UK universities, and the cost of living is incomparably cheaper. According to study.gov.pl, the cost of living per month averages to about €330-€440, including housing in a student dormitory. This is a very enticing alternative to both the UK and Irelannd’s cost of living and housing crises.
Polish universities offer fully English-taught programmes, recognised across the EU (which is especially important for medicine students) and an established and welcoming Polish-Irish student community. The country is also consistently ranked among Europe’s safer countries for international students, and it’s economic growth is booming, as Poland currently places 21st (just below Switzerland) in the list of the world’s largest economies.
Artur Banaszkiewicz, the founder of SMP, commented on the situation, stating: “In 14 years that I have been supporting Irish students into medicine, veterinary medicine and dentistry abroad, Poland has become, without question, our students’ number one destination. It’s no longer a fallback option — for a huge number of families, it’s the first choice abroad, for an increasing number – first choice in general.”
