A typical signpost strung along the Irish/Northern Irish border. Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Students crossing the border experience both functional and social obstacles in their academic and personal lives. Three students from Northern Ireland have shared their experiences of undergraduate life in Galway.
Northern Ireland students are facing various hurdles in their experiences at universities in the Republic of Ireland. In 2025, only 213 students are reported to have crossed the border to attend university, despite all-Ireland university approaches headed by Queens University Belfast and Dundalk Institute of Technology.
The University and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) for UK universities is given preferential treatment over the Central Applications Office (CAO) in the majority of Northern Irish secondary schools. Atlantic Technological University has commenced targeted engagement work in Northern Ireland which saw applications grow by 6.68%, however students who have begun their studies in the Republic of Ireland have stated that the application process is not the end of their obstacles.
Three University of Galway undergraduate students have shared their experiences.
Emily Hegarty, from Co. Tyrone encountered administrative issues during her education, such as being denied a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) after the university “jumped through hoops” to prove that she studies in Galway.
Republic of Ireland universities offer EU and non-EU fee status, but in a post-Brexit shared island this leaves Northern Ireland students in an European grey zone.
Izzy Bland, from Co. Derry/Londonderry, found similar issues to Hegarty when she struggled to obtain a Personal Public Service (PPS) Number and was faced with a €2 thousand emergency tax payment.
Bland was not supported through the CAO process by her Derry school, however, believes the process should be pushed more for students north of the border. UCAS must send out their offers by mid-July, whereas CAO decisions can be received as late as September.
However, the students told of obstacles that go beyond registration and ticking the correct nationality box.
Hegarty has been the “butt of a lot of jokes about religion or bombs.” The history student told of attending house parties where her background was the first question her peers asked.
Bland and Hegarty, as well as Oisín Ó Ceallaigh from Co. Antrim, have chosen to describe their identity as Irish, but have been met with interactions where their choice has been questioned. Ó Ceallaigh recounted pub encounters of “are you Catholic or Protestant?” and “where are you from?” questions which Ó Ceallaigh described as “tiresome” and “a bit of a chastening experience.”
Ó Ceallaigh grew up with the Irish language in Belfast and was excited to broaden his knowledge and usage of the language in Ireland’s west coast. Joining the GAA at University of Galway has helped him partake in university life, however, finds the assumptions about Northern Ireland’s capital to be “exhausting.” Although the 213 Northern Irish students in the Republic of Ireland is an increase from the 190 students in 2024, the legacy of a “deeply divided society” and the precarious nature of registration forms follows Northern Irish students across the border.
