Competency in English

Students whose first language is not English are required to have an appropriate score in an approved examination in English language before they can register on a programme at NCI. 

The English Language certificate must have been issued within 2 years of the expected start date of the NCI programme. 

Applicants who have been taught and examined through the medium of English for their full degree in the following countries are exempt from NCI's English language requirements - Ireland, the UK, the US, Canada, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand, Ghana, Nigeria and South Africa. Applicants should note that they may still be required to show a recognised English language certificate for visa purposes with the Irish Immigration authorities.

English Language Certificate Requirement:

IELTS Requirements

As a guide, the IELTS English language requirements for NCI programmes are listed below.

There are no specific band requirements except for the BA (Hons) in Early Childhood Education and Care programme, which requires an overall band of 6.5 with 6.5 in Speaking and no less than 6.0 in any other band.

IELTS Requirements 

 Programme IELTS Level
 Undergraduate Business 6.0
 Undergraduate Computing and the Higher Diploma in Science in Computing 6.0
 Masters Computing (excluding the MSc in AI for Business) 6.0
 Masters Business and the MSc in AI for Business 6.5  
BA (Hons) in Early Childhood Education and Care 6.5 with 6.5 in Speaking and no less than 6.0 in any other band

If you need to improve your English level, you can choose to take NCI's Pre-Sessional English programme.

IELTS Equivalents

We gladly accept a range of alternatives to IELTS, which you will find in the table below.

IELTS Equivalents

 IELTS Equivalents
IELTS
Academic 		 5.5 6.0 6.5
Duolingo Test of English (September 2024 intake) 85-95 95-105 105+
Duolingo Test of English (January 2025 intake and beyond) 95-105 105-120 120+
TOEFL Internet Based 46 60 79
PTE Academic 42 50 58
UK GCSE C C n/a