University College Cork-Cork, Ireland

Semester only (fall or spring): Limited to certain majors (see below)

History

Students study at the University College Cork. The University was established in 1845 and is one of Ireland's oldest universities. University College Cork is also a leading research university. Today, it is the home campus for over 17,000 students. There are over 1500 international students who attend UCC for a semester or year. The University College Cork has 4 colleges: Art, Celtic Studies, and Social Science; Business and Law; Science, Engineering and Food Science; and Medicine and Health. UCC was voted University of the Year in 2011/2012.

Choosing When to Study in Cork

The fall and spring semesters offer very different opportunities for students to study at UCC. We recommend that you investigate the benefits for the fall and spring semesters before deciding on which semester you want to study abroad. The office of international programs will provide several information sessions throughout the fall term. You should attend one of them.

Fall Semester at University College Cork

Students participate in the pre-term program called early start. Students can select one course from six to learn more about Ireland through a faculty-guided course. The early starts also provide limited excursions around Ireland. It is an excellent opportunity for students to gain an introduction to Ireland and Irish Studies through a carefully guided approach to the country's rich culture, history, politics, business, and civilization. Students who study abroad in the fall will receive a limited number of cultural excursions and dinners. Once the early start program is completed, students will register and start their fall term university courses.

Students can choose from the following early start: (fall semester only)

Early Start in Archaeology
Early Start in Irish Folklore and Ethnology
Early Start in Modern Irish History
Early Start in Literatures in Ireland
Early Start in Marketing and Management
Early Start in Music

Spring Semester at University College Cork

Students start classes early in January with registration taking place upon arrival. Students have approximately a month off to prepare for finals and some use this time to travel. During the spring break, Loyola provides 1-4 day trip for the students who study in the spring, along with other cultural excursions and group dinners.

Criteria for Applying

University College Cork requires that students have at least a 3.00 cumulative QPA. However, students with a cumulative QPA of a 2.800 (no rounding up) can be considered, but admission will be based on the competitive pool of applications. ROTC candidates can apply as freshman to study abroad in the spring of their sophomore year. You should apply if you meet the following:

Attend an information session on Cork;
Attend registration sessions to determine if your degree program matches the courses offered abroad;
Discuss with your major advisor the possible courses you could take abroad and see if there are any potential problems he/she sees with your plans to study in Cork;
Academic reviews will be based on current course offerings;
Registration will take place abroad and the course offerings for the term you will be abroad will be finalized overseas;
Save as many electives for abroad to help with potential registration problems; and
Discuss with your family if taking a summer course(s) is an option to help with any unexpected academic problems that could occur at Loyola or abroad.

Length of Stay

Fall semester students leave in August to participate in the pre-term early start program, which begins in mid-August and runs for one month. The university officially opens shortly after in late September, and goes until mid-December. Fall semester students return in December from the program. There is no mid-term holiday/break in the fall term.
Spring semester students depart in early January. Spring semester classes usually begin the first week in January and go until around June 1.
Depending on how the UCC academic calendar falls, there is a possibility the group will depart on Jan. 1, or earlier. Spring semester students have approximately one month off to study for exams and travel.

Housing/Meals

Semester only students live in Leeside Apartments. Leeside is approximately 15–20 minutes away from the university. They are roughly 10-15 minutes from the center of the city.
The Leeside Apartments have different room-size configurations. Some apartments have single bedrooms, but the majority are shared bedrooms.
Students share a living room, kitchen, and bathroom.
The apartments come fully furnished.
Leeside rents to various groups of students, and not exclusively to Loyola. Therefore, we cannot guarantee that all students will have a single bedroom.
Most students will have to share a bedroom.
Meals are not included. Students must provide for their own meals. There is a cafeteria on campus and other eateries around campus and in the city. Most students cook their own meals. There is an English market in town, and supermarkets.
Students can also find inexpensive pub food near the university and Leeside.

Cost

Students are eligible for consideration for all forms of federal, state, institutional and private sources of aid, with the exception of the federal work-study assignment.
Loyola's financial aid can be used on this program.
All students must have a comprehensive health plan, which includes hospitalization and can be used while overseas.
All students must have a valid passport. The passport must have at least 6 months left after the study abroad program end date.
Students who receive college work study and study abroad may lose their college work study for the returning semester to Loyola. Contact the financial office for specific information.
Students will have to pay an Immigration Fee upon arrival. This is currently 150 Euro and is subject to increase.
Bedding is not provided, but linens can be bought upon arrival. Students can rent cleaned linens through Leeside or purchase their own in Ireland.
Students should budget for any start-up costs associated with study abroad.
Students pay a study abroad fee and a reduced comprehensive fee. Accepted students must submit a study abroad deposit to hold his/her spot in the program.
Please consult the financial aid office regarding your financial aid package.

Benefits

This is a full package with:

A part-time director;
1 round-trip airline ticket;
Early Start Program (Fall students only);
Limited trips and celebration meals;
Apartments with heat and utilities included;
Tuition and housing; and
Travel assistance plan that includes medical evacuation/repatriation coverage.

Special Note: Students will be allowed to pre-register for courses at Loyola for their returning semester, provided their account is up to date. Also, students using Loyola programs retain their priority for on-campus housing when they return. However, Loyola cannot guarantee any student housing when they return from abroad.

Miscellaneous

The Student Health Office at UCC is also recommending that you get a Meningitis C shot when you arrive on campus. Even though you might have had a Meningitis shot already, the Health Center at UCC has informed us that there is a different strain of Meningitis that is found in Ireland. The shot is free and provided by the Student Health Office at UCC. It is not mandatory, but highly recommended by the Health Office at UCC. You can also consult the CDC website to help you with your decision. It is up to you whether you want to get it.
Students studying at UCC have limited access to the counseling and support center there. There are some restrictions regarding visiting students and services available to them. There may be a wait time to see a counselor and there are limits to how many sessions students can have. Appointments with a psychiatrist may require the use of the student's private health insurance.
UCC has a Disability Support Service office. This office supports international students, but there are limitations on what services can be provided to study abroad students. Accommodations and services provided by the Disability Support Service office may not be the same abroad as the services provided at Loyola. We encourage students to meet with Loyola's disability support service office to discuss their options for abroad.

Application Requirements

Students must submit an online application, an advisor acknowledgement form by Dec .1, of the sophomore year to study abroad in the fall or spring term of junior year.
All students must declare their major, and minor if applicable, prior to submitting their online application.
Undeclared majors will be turned down automatically.

Cork Equivalencies

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This is a working list of the course equivalencies for the Cork, Ireland program.

The course approvals and equivalencies provided are the most current for the office of international programs. Once accepted to a study abroad program, students will have an academic interview with the appropriate director and will be advised on their course selection.

Please be advised: All students are solely responsible for informing themselves about the status of these courses. Course approvals and equivalencies may change at a moments notice. This means you should confirm if the following courses are approved, or if the courses have been removed.

If there are other courses you desire to take, and they are not on the course equivalency list; you must get written course approval by the department chair. The courses that you choose should fit into your degree audit and enable you to graduate on time.

International Programs