University of Galway has made more than 4,000 offers to new undergraduate students for the 2026/27 academic year.

With Round 1 CAO offers issued today, University of Galway shared a message of congratulations to the Leaving Certificate class of 2026 for their efforts and achievements.

Professor David Burn, President of University of Galway, said: “Today is a milestone for all students taking the next step in their education. On behalf of University of Galway, I wish them all well and for those who are lucky enough to come to our university, we are delighted to welcome them. You deserve huge congratulations on your achievements at school and in the Leaving Certificate and I wish you every success as you begin this exciting new chapter.

“University is a time to learn, to challenge yourself, to make new friends and to discover new opportunities. We look forward to supporting our new students throughout their time with us and providing them with an excellent education and opportunities and the very best student experience and campus in the country.

“I would also like to acknowledge colleagues across the University who do so much work behind the scenes to support students and their families, from preparing offers and orientation and the warm welcome that all our new students get at University of Galway.”

With another year of record levels of applications to the CAO, University of Galway expects more than 3,800 students to register to begin their undergraduate studies in September.

Round 1 offers show some trends across University of Galway’s programmes, including:

• Pharmacy (MPharm) - the 5-year undergrad course at University of Galway is due to have its second intake of students in September and has expanded to 75 places, up from 40 in 2025, responding to the need for qualified pharmacists and the demand for the career.
• BSc (Zoology) is a new programme for 2026, with points at 473 and about 40 students expected to enrol in the first intake.
• Courses offering Gaeilge experienced an increase in points, such as BComm (Gaeilge) and BA (Gaeilge agus Leann Aistriúcháin), cutting off at 488 and 405 respectively
• 25 courses at University of Galway saw points increases this year, bringing the number of courses cutting off over 500 points to 28, which is half of all courses offered by University of Galway.
• All Engineering programmes remain above 500 points, emphasising the significance of sectors such as medtech in the region and strong career opportunities for graduates.
• Programmes in the creative arts saw increased demand with the BA (Drama, Theatre and Performance) increasing by 44 points to 404 and the BA (Music) up by 12 points to 413.
• The flagship science degree, BSc (GY301) cut off at 455, up 15 on last year and increases were also seen in Earth and Ocean Sciences, Biotechnology, Marine Science and Financial Mathematics & Economics.   
• Nursing and Midwifery saw continued growth, in particular the Bachelor of Midwifery Science increasing from 429 to 498 points.

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