Entry requirements for medical programs in Ireland to change: IUA

Entry requirements for medical programs in Ireland to change: IUA

Universities in Ireland are moving towards making Leaving Certificate points more important for entry into medicine. 

In order to "refocus on Leaving Certificate achievement", Irish universities with medical schools will change entry requirements for undergraduate medicine programmes from 2027. The maximum weighting of points achieved in the HPAT will be reduced from the current 300 to 150.

The HPAT was introduced in 2009 to follow international best practices and eliminate the reliance on the Leaving Certificate alone for admission to medicine. The IUA said such multi-test assessment for admission to medicine programmes is "internationally common".

Applicants to study medicine are currently required to take the HPAT exam in addition to their Leaving Certificate. The HPAT is intended to assess "logical reasoning and problem solving, interpersonal understanding and non-verbal reasoning".

The IUA says that most countries in Europe, as well as countries such as Australia, Canada and New Zealand, use an exam like the HPAT for admission to medical studies.

Under the current system, Leaving Cert scores above 550 points are "moderated" - meaning they are adjusted to a maximum score of 565 points. The HPAT is weighted up to a maximum of 300 points. This means the current maximum total points is 865 (565 from the Leaving Cert + 300 from the HPAT). However, this is set to change for students seeking entry to undergraduate medicine degree programmes from September 2027.

The maximum weighting of points achieved in the HPAT assessment will be reduced from the current 300 to 150. Meanwhile, Leaving Certificate scores above 550 points will no longer be moderated, and the full points achieved by students will be calculated. 

So from September 2027, the maximum Leaving Certificate for Medicine will be 775 (LC 625 + HPAT 150) combined HPAT points, instead of the current maximum points of 865 (LC 565 + HPAT 300).

Why this change?

The IUA said the changes were a result of a "significant increase in the number of medical places available to CAO applicants from 2022".

"By 2026, more than 200 additional places will be available across all undergraduate medicine programmes, pointing to an expansion of places across all existing graduate entry medicine programmes,

There will be additional places at the University of Limerick, including through the launch of a new programme in 2026, and it is hoped that a new programme will be launched at the University of Galway in 2027.

The IUA says removing points moderation brings Irish medical schools into line with international medical admissions practices. 

The IUA explained that the changes to the current weighting of points that can be achieved from the HPAT will bring it closer to the points that can be achieved in individual Leaving Certificate subjects.

It added that the Leaving Certificate has been shown to be a strong predictor of performance in undergraduate medical programmes. The IUA added that it will "refocus on the Leaving Certificate achievement, which has been shown to be a stronger indicator than the HPAT".

"The continued increase in the number of medical places available, the changes made to the Leaving Certificate grading scales and points system in 2017, and the planned withdrawal of the marking arrangement for Leaving Certificate grades during the Covid period from 2025 all point to the opportunity to introduce these changes for future choices into medicine from 2027." 

The Irish Universities Association (IUA) said that Leaving Cert performance has been shown to be a stronger indicator of student choice than the HPAT.