Study architecture in Ireland through one of just three prescribed degrees: UCD, TU Dublin and the joint UCC/MTU programme. This guide compares 2025 CAO points side by side, shows exactly how to prepare the TU832 portfolio worth up to 200 points, and maps the full RIAI route from first sketchbook to the protected title of Architect.
"Architect" is a protected title in Ireland, and only an architecture degree accredited by the RIAI starts you on the road to it. In 2026 there are 6 such routes on the CAO: UCD, TU Dublin, UCC with MTU in Cork, UL, SETU in Waterford and ATU in Sligo (where prescription for registration is still pending). Two of them, TU Dublin (TU832) and UL (LM099), add up to 200 points for a portfolio, so their published figure is a combined score, not exam points. Around them sit 12 architectural technology, 5 interior architecture, landscape and planning degrees: real careers in the same industry, but none of them leads to the title Architect on its own. There are 26 courses in this guide across 9 colleges, and every figure is the 2026 Round 1 cut-off with 2025 underneath.
The six CAO degrees that lead towards registration as an architect. Each reaches the five-year educational standard either in one degree or with a master's on top.
| COLLEGE | CAO CODE | PROGRAMME | ENTRY | YEARS | 2026 R1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UCD | DN100 | Architecture (BArchSc, then MArch) | Points | 4 + 1 | 554 2025: 556 |
| UCC / MTU | CK606 | Architecture (BSc, then MArch) | Points | 4 + 1 | 544 2025: 532 |
| TU Dublin | TU832 | Bachelor of Architecture (Bolton Street) | Portfolio + interview | 5 | 635 comb. 2025: 635 comb. |
| UL | LM099 | Bachelor of Architecture | Portfolio | 5 | 625 comb. 2025: 520 comb. |
| SETU | SE701 | Bachelor of Architecture (Waterford) | Points | 5 | 420 2025: 409 |
| ATU | AU925 | Bachelor of Architecture (Sligo) | Points | 5 | 410 2025: 420 |
Points shown are 2026 CAO Round 1 cut-offs, with the 2025 cut-off underneath and an arrow for the direction of change. Verify at cao.ie/points. Violet badges are combined scores: TU832 adds up to 200 points for portfolio and interview (out of 825), and LM099 adds up to 200 for a portfolio, so they cannot be compared with plain points. "4 + 1" means the degree is followed by a master's year to reach the five-year standard (UCD students can also leave with a BSc after year 3). All six are covered by the Free Fees Initiative for eligible EU students; the student contribution applies. Each code opens the course in the Course Explorer.
TU Dublin and UL both score a portfolio for entry, and every architecture student needs these skills from week one. A portfolio also opens doors to European schools, advanced entry and the year-out job hunt later on. Start early: the students who struggle are the ones who begin in sixth year.
TU832 is a restricted course, so it cannot be added later through Change of Mind. The school then emails you how to submit.
Sketches, freehand drawing, painting, sculpture, graphics, photography, woodwork, ceramics or film. Quality over quantity: a tight, well-chosen 12 beats a padded 20.
About your motivation and commitment, and you may be asked about pieces in the portfolio. The suitability test is no longer required.
Leaving Cert (max 625) plus portfolio and interview (max 200) gives a score out of 825. A strong portfolio can close a points gap that would rule you out elsewhere.
One PDF, ideally under 20 MB, showing your aptitude for and interest in architecture.
Why architecture, and why you. There is no interview for school leavers; mature applicants are interviewed.
For 2026 entry the main window was 12 to 26 March, with late (May) and Change of Mind (July) windows. UL publishes the 2027 guidelines in October 2026.
Offers are made on the combined total; a portfolio scoring 80 or more (40%) is successful.
Always confirm dates on the TU Dublin portfolio page and UL's architecture entry page. UCD, UCC/MTU, SETU and ATU admit on points alone.
Drawing real things from life: buildings, streetscapes, objects, hands. Assessors can spot drawing from photos instantly. A working sketchbook, shown as a sketchbook, is often the strongest single item.
Card, timber, clay, found materials, anything built with your hands. Photograph models well: plain background, natural light, several angles. Schools love evidence of thinking in three dimensions.
Considered photography of light, structure and place; digital drawing or CAD experiments if you have them. Digital work supplements handwork, it does not replace it.
Sketch a building near you and write on the drawing: what works, how the light enters, why the entrance is where it is. This shows architectural curiosity, which is exactly what interviewers probe.
Something no teacher assigned: redesigning your bedroom, mapping your walk to school, a treehouse with plans and sections. Self-initiated work signals real motivation better than any grade.
Include rough development pages beside finished pieces. Schools assess how you think and iterate, not how polished the final piece is. Failed experiments with a note on what you learned are welcome.
Start a dedicated sketchbook and draw weekly. Visit buildings: Open House Dublin runs from 10 to 18 October 2026, free, with a junior programme. Try one model.
Build range: photography, a personal project, a building study. A portfolio-prep summer course can help but is not required.
Select and sequence your pieces. Photograph 3D work properly. Get one honest outside opinion, then edit down.
CAO by 1 February. TU832 portfolio by 8 March; UL in its March window. Prepare to talk about three pieces at the May TU832 interview.
Submitting only polished school art projects with no personal work. Copying from photographs or screens instead of drawing from life. Padding the page count when fewer strong pieces would do. No three-dimensional work at all. Photographing models at midnight before the deadline on a cluttered kitchen table. Every one of these is avoidable with an early start.
Our Architecture Portfolio Preparation Toolkit walks through piece selection, sequencing, photographing 3D work and interview preparation in detail, with checklists you can work through term by term.
Open the Architecture Portfolio Preparation ToolkitThe built environment is far bigger than the six architecture degrees. These programmes lead to real, in-demand careers, and some can act as stepping stones toward architecture itself.
None of these degrees makes you an architect. Architectural technologists are the technical designers of buildings; the title is not regulated, but the RIAI keeps a voluntary register for graduates of RIAI-accredited technology degrees with two years' experience, and CIAT accredits many courses for Chartered Architectural Technologist. Landscape architects qualify through the Irish Landscape Institute, and planners through the Irish Planning Institute. Interior architecture is a design discipline recognised through bodies such as the ECIA and the Institute of Designers in Ireland. Check each course's accreditation in the directory below.
| Field | CAO Code | Programme | College | Duration | 2026 R1 | Recognition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Architectural Technology | TU831 | Architectural Technology | TU Dublin | 4 yrs | 455 2025: 425 | RIAI, CIAT |
| MT859 | Architectural Technology | MTU Cork | 4 yrs | 378 2025: 368 | RIAI | |
| AU637 | Architectural Technology | ATU Galway | 4 yrs | 372 2025: 339 | RIAI, CIAT, CABE | |
| SE702 | Architectural Technology | SETU Carlow | 4 yrs | 332 2025: 331 | RIAI, CIAT | |
| SE703 | Architectural & BIM Technology | SETU Waterford | 4 yrs | 317 2025: 308 | CIAT | |
| Interior Architecture | AU926 | Interior Architecture & Design | ATU Sligo | 4 yrs | 400 2025: 400 | Aligned with ECIA |
| MT860 | Interior Architecture | MTU Cork | 4 yrs | 400 2025: 398 | Not stated | |
| Landscape | DN120 | Landscape Architecture | UCD | 4 yrs | 478 2025: 485 | Irish Landscape Institute |
| Planning | DN130 | City Planning & Environmental Policy | UCD | 4 yrs | 474 2025: 481 | IPI, RTPI (with a master's) |
| TU835 | Spatial Planning & Environmental Management | TU Dublin | 4 yrs | 381 2025: 360 | IPI, RTPI (planning stream) |
A sample of the honours degrees; every course, including the Level 7 routes, is in the directory below. Points are 2026 CAO Round 1 cut-offs with 2025 underneath; verify at cao.ie/points. Recognition is as each college states it.
A student who misses 554 for UCD has real options. SETU Waterford (420) and ATU Sligo (410) run five-year architecture degrees at far lower points, TU Dublin and UL let a strong portfolio earn up to 200 points, and architectural technology from about 330 points leads to a skilled career with possible advanced entry later. In a field this small, persistence and a body of work count for more than a single August morning.
All 26 architecture, architectural technology, interior architecture, landscape and planning courses in this guide, college by college, with the 2026 Round 1 cut-off and the professional recognition each college states. Open a college to see its courses. Click any code to open it in the MyCareerVerse Course Explorer.
| Code | Course | Level | Years | 2026 R1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DN100 | Architecture (BArchSc) RIAI accredited and prescribed with the UCD MArch (5 years in total); now a 4-year BArchSc, with a BSc exit after year 3. | Level 8 | 4 yrs | 554 2025: 556 |
| DN120 | Landscape Architecture Ireland's only undergraduate landscape architecture degree; accredited by the Irish Landscape Institute; optional internship in year 3. | Level 8 | 4 yrs | 478 2025: 485 |
| DN130 | City Planning & Environmental Policy Accredited by the IPI and RTPI; a one-year Master's in Planning follows for professional practice; optional year abroad. | Level 8 | 4 yrs | 474 2025: 481 |
| Code | Course | Level | Years | 2026 R1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CK606 | Architecture (UCC & MTU) Cork Centre for Architectural Education, Cork city RIAI accredited and prescribed with the 1-year MArch; taught jointly by UCC and MTU at the Cork Centre for Architectural Education. | Level 8 | 4 yrs | 544 2025: 532 |
| Code | Course | Level | Years | 2026 R1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LM099 | Architecture RIAI accredited and prescribed 5-year BArch; portfolio and 500-word statement worth up to 200 extra points; no interview. | Level 8 | 5 yrs | 625 comb. 2025: 520 comb. |
| Code | Course | Level | Years | 2026 R1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TU831 | Architectural Technology Bolton Street Accredited by the RIAI and CIAT; BIM-heavy studio course with a work placement in year 3. | Level 8 | 4 yrs | 455 2025: 425 |
| TU835 | Spatial Planning & Environmental Management Bolton Street Spatial Planning stream accredited by the IPI and RTPI, or an Environmental Management stream; work placement. | Level 8 | 4 yrs | 381 2025: 360 |
| TU832 | Architecture Bolton Street RIAI accredited and prescribed 5-year BArch; portfolio and interview worth up to 200 extra points; optional practice year after year 3. | Level 8 | 5 yrs | 635 comb. 2025: 635 comb. |
| Code | Course | Level | Years | 2026 R1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MT860 | Interior Architecture Cork (Bishopstown) Interior architecture in MTU's Architecture Factory, focused on adaptive reuse and universal design; placement in year 3. | Level 8 | 4 yrs | 400 2025: 398 |
| MT859 | Architectural Technology Cork (Bishopstown) RIAI accredited; studio and project work with a placement in year 3 and a research specialism in year 4. | Level 8 | 4 yrs | 378 2025: 368 |
| MT760 | Interior Architecture Cork (Bishopstown) Ordinary degree in the Architecture Factory with a placement in year 3; progress to the honours year. | Level 7 | 3 yrs | 350 2025: 319 |
| MT759 | Architectural Technology Cork (Bishopstown) RIAI accredited ordinary degree with a placement in year 3; progress to the MT859 honours year. | Level 7 | 3 yrs | 327 2025: 300 |
| Code | Course | Level | Years | 2026 R1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AU925 | Architecture (BArch) Sligo RIAI accredited and RIBA validated 5-year BArch; prescription for registration still pending; BA exit after year 3. | Level 8 | 5 yrs | 410 2025: 420 |
| AU926 | Interior Architecture & Design Sligo Interior architecture aligned with European (ECIA) standards; a flexible placement, Erasmus or enterprise year 3; assessed through projects. | Level 8 | 4 yrs | 400 2025: 400 |
| AU637 | Architectural Technology Galway Accredited by the RIAI, CIAT and CABE; at least 13 weeks of industry placement in year 3. | Level 8 | 4 yrs | 372 2025: 339 |
| AU343 | Architectural Technology Letterkenny CIAT accredited (per the college); placement in year 3; not on the RIAI accredited list. | Level 8 | 4 yrs | 333 2025: 330 |
| AU537 | Architectural Technology Galway RIAI accredited and CIAT approved ordinary degree; 13-week placement; progress to the Galway honours year. | Level 7 | 3 yrs | 302 2025: 254 |
| AU820 | Interior Architecture & Design Sligo Recognised by the ECIA and the Institute of Designers in Ireland; live client projects; ladders into AU926. | Level 7 | 3 yrs | 270 2025: 271 |
| Code | Course | Level | Years | 2026 R1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SE701 | Architecture (BArch) Waterford city centre RIAI accredited and prescribed 5-year BArch, accredited since 2005; city-centre studio with a focus on sustainability and conservation. | Level 8 | 5 yrs | 420 2025: 409 |
| SE702 | Architectural Technology Carlow Accredited by the RIAI and CIAT; full-semester placement in year 3 and international study trips. | Level 8 | 4 yrs | 332 2025: 331 |
| SE703 | Architectural & Building Information Modelling Tech Waterford CIAT accredited, with Building Information Modelling at its core; industry placement in years 3 and 4. | Level 8 | 4 yrs | 317 2025: 308 |
| SE717 | Architectural Technology Carlow RIAI and CIAT approved ordinary degree with a full-semester placement; progress to the SE702 honours year. | Level 7 | 3 yrs | 292 2025: 289 |
| SE716 | Architectural Technology Waterford CIAT approved; progress to SE703, or apply to transfer onto the SETU architecture degree. | Level 7 | 3 yrs | 244 2025: 238 |
| Code | Course | Level | Years | 2026 R1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GC489 | Interior Architecture Private college, so fees apply (about 7,250 to 7,500 euro a year); honours degree in 3 years; portfolio required. | Level 8 | 3 yrs | 293 comb. 2025: 360 comb. |
Left out although the CAO files them under architecture: TR043 (Trinity's History of Art & Architecture, an arts degree), AU682 (ATU's Furniture Making & Architectural Woodworking). Quantity surveying, construction management and property degrees are in the Course Explorer. Accreditation is quoted from each college's page and the RIAI accredited programmes list (October 2026); CIAT is the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists, IPI the Irish Planning Institute and RTPI the Royal Town Planning Institute. TU832 and LM099 use a combined score (points plus portfolio), so they are not in the points bands. Levels and years follow the college page where it differs from the CAO handbook.
The 16 Level 8 courses in this guide with a plain 2026 points cut-off, grouped by band. Find the band your predicted points sit in, then open the band below it as well. TU832, LM099 and Griffith College use a combined score with a portfolio, so they are in the directory above instead.
| Code | Course | College | 2026 R1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| DN120 | Landscape Architecture | UCD | 478 2025: 485 |
| DN130 | City Planning & Environmental Policy | UCD | 474 2025: 481 |
| TU831 | Architectural Technology | TU Dublin Bolton Street | 455 2025: 425 |
| SE701 | Architecture (BArch) | SETU Waterford city centre | 420 2025: 409 |
| AU925 | Architecture (BArch) | ATU Sligo | 410 2025: 420 |
| AU926 | Interior Architecture & Design | ATU Sligo | 400 2025: 400 |
| MT860 | Interior Architecture | MTU Cork (Bishopstown) | 400 2025: 398 |
There are 7 Level 7 architectural technology and interior architecture courses in the directory above. Each ladders into the honours year at the same college, and SETU's SE716 page even names a possible transfer onto its architecture degree. The Other Ways In section covers PLC, advanced entry and mature routes.
The CAO straight after the Leaving Cert is the most common door, but it is not the only one.
One-year QQI Level 5 courses in architectural drawing, CAD, design or art portfolio preparation run in further education colleges around the country. Most students use them to strengthen a TU832 or LM099 portfolio, to meet the QQI entry routes into architectural technology (TU831, for example, takes design, CAD and construction awards), or to take a purposeful year to test whether the field fits.
Search PLC courses on Fetch CoursesSchools accept some advanced entry applicants who have met the learning outcomes of earlier years through related study at Level 6, 7 or 8. Architectural technology is the most natural feeder, and SETU's Level 7 architectural technology page names a possible transfer onto its own architecture degree. Transfers are competitive, portfolio-assessed and never guaranteed, so treat this as a plan B built on strong work, not a back door.
SE716 in the Course ExplorerApplicants aged 23 or over on 1 January of the entry year can apply through the CAO on mature grounds by 1 February. Schools look at motivation and experience, and most ask for a portfolio: UCC/MTU, for example, asks mature applicants for a CV and up to eight pages of work in April, and UL interviews its mature applicants. Mature applicants often bring the strongest portfolios.
CAO mature applicantsPeople without an architecture degree can reach the register through the RIAI's Register Admission Examination route: at least seven years' practical experience working at the level of an architect, aged 35 or over, and a pass in the examination. The RIAI supports accredited programmes for architectural technologists taking this road. It is long, but it exists, and it matters for technologists who discover the ambition later.
RIAI: no formal qualifications routeWhether you enter at 18 with 554 points, at Waterford with 420, transfer in from architectural technology at 21, or qualify through practice experience at 35, the register makes no distinction. The letters after the name are identical.
Belfast is an hour or two away, and a handful of European schools teach architecture in English at low fees for EU citizens, often with an entrance test instead of a points race.
Architecture is regulated across Europe. A full five-year EU architecture qualification listed under the EU Professional Qualifications Directive can be recognised automatically for registration in Ireland, but a three-year bachelor on its own is not enough: you need the master's on top. For the UK, the RIAI and the ARB agreed in 2020 that architects trained in either country can keep registering in both, and the RIAI route for UK graduates asks for the ARB Part 3 exam. Before accepting any place abroad, ask the RIAI in writing whether that exact route will be recognised for you.
The Netherlands, Germany and the Nordics have superb architecture schools, but most teach the bachelor in the national language: TU Delft's bachelor, for example, is in Dutch. English usually arrives at master's level, so a common pattern is an Irish or English-taught bachelor followed by a European MArch. IE University in Spain runs a private, English-taught five-year programme at much higher fees. Check the language of instruction on the university's own site, and see the MyCareerVerse EU courses page.
"Architect" is a protected title under the Building Control Act 2007. The degree is the beginning, not the end: registration runs through the RIAI, the registration body, and the RIAI says the whole process generally takes seven to nine years.
From UCD, TU Dublin, UCC/MTU, UL or SETU (ATU's is awaiting prescription), or a recognised equivalent from abroad.
Paid work under a registered architect, with at least 12 of those months in Ireland.
Ethics, planning and building law, contracts and practice management. Taken through TU Dublin's PDAP, UCD's Professional Diploma or the RIAI's own programme (fee €5,150; 2027 applications open 1 to 31 October 2026).
Admission to the statutory register and the protected title of Architect.
Holders of a prescribed degree with seven or more years' postgraduate experience can apply to be exempt from the professional exam, assessed by interview.
For people without an architecture degree: at least seven years working at the level of an architect, aged 35 or over, and a pass in the examination.
Relevant mainly to career changers and long-serving technologists, not school leavers, but worth knowing it exists.
The 24 months of practice is salaried employment, and many students also take a paid year out between the third and fourth year of their degree. The professional exam carries a fee, and many employers contribute toward it. The undergraduate years are covered by Free Fees for eligible students, with the student contribution applying; a master's year (UCD, UCC/MTU) has its own fee.
The public service Architect scale at its 2022 rates, from the first point to the top. It has risen since under the 2024 to 2026 pay agreement.
Dublin City Council's 2025 scale for a registered architect with at least five years' experience.
Median earnings of engineering, manufacturing and construction graduates ten years after graduating, the second highest field (CSO, 2026).
Private practices of every size, from two-person studios to international firms, across housing, commercial, healthcare, education and conservation.
Local authorities, the OPW, state agencies and developer or contractor design teams, where housing delivery keeps demand strong.
Urban design, conservation, sustainability and retrofit consultancy, BIM management, film and set design, and academia.
Architecture pays modestly in the early years, while you are still training, and well once you are registered and experienced. There is no current RIAI salary survey, so private-practice pay varies widely with the size of the practice and the state of the construction market. The public-sector scales above are the most reliable published guide.
Sources: Department of Public Expenditure Circular 19/2022 (civil service Architect scale, 2022 rates); Dublin City Council Senior Executive Architect competition 91/2025; CSO Higher Education Outcomes (February 2026). Treat them as indicative.
Architecture has more moving parts than most CAO choices because of the portfolios and the professional route after the degree. Here is the whole journey in order.
Research the six schools, go to open days, and visit buildings during Open House Dublin each October. If TU832 or LM099 is a possibility, start the sketchbook now. Portfolio work compounds; cramming does not.
CAO applications open, with the discounted early-bird fee until 20 January. Applying to Queen's or Ulster too? The UCAS deadline is 13 January 2027.
TU832 is a restricted course: it must be on your CAO application by this date and cannot be added later through Change of Mind. Mature applicants also apply by this date.
TU832 portfolios close on 8 March 2027 at 5pm, with the 20-minute interview in May. UL's LM099 portfolio window has been in March, with later windows in May and July for late applicants and Change of Mind.
Leaving Cert results, then CAO Round 1 offers. TU832 and LM099 offers reflect the combined points-plus-portfolio score.
Five years of study whichever school you choose: a five-year BArch at TU Dublin, UL, SETU and ATU, or a degree plus master's at UCD and UCC/MTU. Many students take a paid year out in practice partway through.
At least 24 months of salaried, supervised practice, then the Professional Practice Examination and admission to the RIAI register. Seven to nine years after the Leaving Cert, the title Architect is yours.
A strong exam student may prefer UCD, UCC/MTU, SETU or ATU, where points decide everything. A strong creative whose points might fall short should take TU832 and LM099 seriously: up to 200 of their points are earned with work in hand, not answers in an exam hall. You can list all six; they are not mutually exclusive.
Architecture students live in the studio: long hours, crits, group models. Visit each school on an open day and look at the studio spaces and pinned-up work. The place where you can imagine spending sixty hours a week is the right answer, and it differs from person to person.
Seven to nine years to the title is a long road. TY work experience in a practice, a portfolio summer course, or a term of weekly building sketches is cheap insurance. If the sketchbook feels like a chore now, that is important information.
Architectural technology, interior architecture, landscape and planning are shorter routes to strong careers in the same industry, at a wide range of points. For some students they are the destination; for others, a stepping stone. Neither use is a lesser choice.
Every accredited Irish school produces registered architects, and no client ever asks which one. What separates graduates seven years from now is the quality of the work in their portfolio, the experience gathered in practice, and the curiosity they bring to buildings and the people who use them. That starts with the first sketchbook, not the points printout.
Points were checked against the CAO 2026 Round 1 figures in the MyCareerVerse courses table, and accreditation, structures and entry processes against the RIAI and each college's own pages, on 5 October 2026.