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Application Open & Close Dates

Applications for our primary school Spring 2025 courses will be available on our website from Friday 10th January 2025 closing Thursday 16th January 2025.

Applications for our secondary school Spring 2025 courses will be available on our website from Friday 10th January 2025 closing Thursday 16th January 2025.

If you have never used the portal before you will have to create a new account to submit an application.

Please note: Places are allocated on a random selection basis and not everyone that applies will be offered a place. First refusal for our Spring 2025 courses is given to those who applied but did not receive a place in Autumn 2024.

Application Process

To apply for a place in the Youth Academy parents must complete an online application form here: University of Galway - Youth Academy, which will be accepting applications as per the above dates for primary and secondary school. 

You will need to create an account in order to apply - see details below or click on Primary Application and Selection Policy to download instruction guidelines.

Selection Process

Youth Academy typically attracts a high volume of applications each year and places are offered following a random selection process.  Once the application window closes our system will:

1. Weigh all applicants equally and, via the application system, be assigned a random ranked position on the applicant list.
2. From this ranked list of applicants, the system will begin to fill the places available in each of the courses available, starting with 1st preference course choice, followed by 2nd preference course choice, followed by 3rd preference course choice. The allocation process will continue to fill places on basis of 1) randomly assigned rank and 2) course selection and place availability.
3. Once all places are filled, all allocated applicants will be checked for eligibility

The random approach to the selection process means the following will not be taken into consideration in the allocation of places:

1. The timing of applications within the open window. The timing of making an application is not relevant to the selection process (being the first to apply does not guarantee a place).
2. Sibling applications. There is no guarantee that if two siblings in a family applied that they will both be accepted, even if the two applications are made at the same time.

Further information on our application and section policy is available here: Primary Application and Selection Policy