Study economics in Ireland through more routes than almost any other subject. This guide compares every 2025 CAO programme side by side, from 625 points at UCD down to Arts entry at 300, then maps the PLC, transfer and mature routes, English-taught EU degrees, graduate salaries and the specialisations the degree opens up.
Economics is unusual: you can study it as a named degree (like UCD's BSc Economics or Maynooth's BSc Economics), inside a multi-subject social science programme (Trinity's BESS and PPES, DCU's Economics, Politics and Law), through a Commerce or Business degree, or as a subject within a general Arts degree at 300 to 350 points. All of these can lead to the same graduate roles and the same MSc programmes. What matters is the economics and quantitative content you build, not the label on the parchment. You do not need Leaving Cert Economics for any of these courses, though several require a good maths grade, so check each course's minimum maths requirement carefully.
| UNIVERSITY | CAO CODE | PROGRAMME | AWARD | YEARS | 2025 R1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trinity College Dublin | TR081 | Business, Economics and Social Studies (BESS) | BA / BBS | 4 | 566 |
| Trinity College Dublin | TR015 | Philosophy, Political Science, Economics and Sociology (PPES) | BA | 4 | 588 |
| UCD | DN670 | Economics and Finance | BSc | 4 | 625 |
| UCD | DN710 | Economics (Single Major) | BSc | 3 | 542 |
| UCD | DN700 | Social Sciences (Economics Joint Major) | BSc | 4 | 491 |
| UCC | CK212 | Applied Economics | BSc | 4 | 498 |
| DCU | DC230 | Economics, Politics and Law | BA | 3–4 | 467 |
| University of Galway | GY201 | Commerce (Economics pathway) | BComm | 3 | 454 |
| Maynooth University | MH415 | Economics (option of integrated MSc) | BSc | 3 | 445 |
| TU Dublin | TU905 | Economics and Finance | BSc | 3–4 | 436 |
| University of Galway | GY132 | Government (Politics, Economics and Law) | BA | 4 | 412 |
| Maynooth University | MH416 | International Economics | BA | 3 | 413 |
Points shown are 2025 CAO Round 1 cut-offs. Verify at cao.ie/points. All programmes above are Level 8 and covered by the Free Fees Scheme for eligible EU students (student contribution applies). Trinity also offers Economics through its Joint Honours entry routes, where 2025 entry levels for the Economics subject ranged upwards from 590 points.
Named economics degrees in Ireland are concentrated in the universities, but that does not mean you need 500+ points. TU Dublin runs a dedicated Economics and Finance degree in the heart of the city, and four universities let you study the same economics through Arts entry at 300 to 350 points.
Economics is not a licensed profession: there is no registration exam at the end. Employers hire on the strength of your econometrics and data skills, your writing, your placement or internship experience, and increasingly your ability to code in R, Python or Stata. A student who builds those skills through a 350-point Arts route can outcompete a 600-point graduate who coasted. The module list you choose matters far more than the CAO points you entered with.
| Institution | CAO Code | Programme | Level | Duration | 2025 R1 Points | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TU Dublin | TU905 | Economics and Finance | L8 | 3–4 yrs | 436 | Aungier Street, Dublin 2 |
| University of Limerick | LM002 | Arts (Economics as Joint Honours subject) | L8 | 4 yrs | 316 | Limerick |
| Maynooth University | MH101 | Arts (Economics as Joint Honours subject) | L8 | 3 yrs | 300 | Maynooth, Co. Kildare |
| UCC | CK101 | Arts (Economics as a subject) | L8 | 3 yrs | 300 | Cork |
| University of Galway | GY101 | Arts Joint Honours (Economics as a subject) | L8 | 4 yrs | 350 | Galway |
Points shown are 2025 CAO Round 1 cut-offs. All routes above are covered by the Free Fees Scheme for eligible EU students; the annual student contribution applies.
A student who enters Economics through Arts at Maynooth on 300 points, transfers into the BSc, adds the integrated MSc and learns to code sits in the same Central Bank interview as a 625-point DN670 graduate. Masters admissions and graduate employers look at your degree result, your quantitative modules and your experience. Nobody asks what you got in the Leaving Cert.
Missed the points, or coming to economics later? These four routes all end in exactly the same degree parchment as direct CAO entry.
A one-year PLC course such as Business Studies (5M2102) at your local further education college. Find courses on fetchcourses.ie.
Most universities require a full major award with at least five distinctions. Places are competitive, so treat the PLC year like a serious academic year.
Galway's GY132 reserves QQI places and accepts 5M2102 Business Studies among other awards. UCD accepts QQI applicants to more than half of its programmes, and TU Dublin scores QQI applicants for TU905 up to 390 points. Check each course's accepted award list before choosing your PLC.
Maynooth Arts (MH101, 300 points), UCC Arts (CK101, 300), Galway Arts (GY101, 350) or UL Arts (LM002, 316), choosing Economics as one of your subjects.
Transfer places are awarded on first-year results, not Leaving Cert points.
Maynooth formally offers transfer from MH101 into the BSc Economics (MH415) and BA International Economics (MH416), subject to results. Elsewhere, simply majoring in Economics through Arts produces the same subject depth by final year.
If you are 23 or over on 1 January of your entry year, you can apply as a mature student and be assessed on your application, experience and motivation instead of points. Apply through the CAO by the 1 February deadline, complete the mature section fully, and include a statement of interest.
Economics departments tend to welcome mature students: real-world experience of mortgages, wages and prices is a genuine advantage in tutorials. Some universities may interview or ask for evidence of recent study, particularly for maths-heavy programmes.
Graduates of business, maths, engineering, science and even humanities move into economics every year through one-year MSc programmes in economics, economic policy and data analytics at the universities above. Quantitative prerequisites vary widely, so check each MSc's entry requirements: some expect prior economics or strong maths, others are designed as conversion routes.
The Irish Government Economic and Evaluation Service (IGEES) also recruits graduate economists into the civil service each year, and a relevant masters significantly strengthens that application.
Whether you enter on 625 points, through a PLC, as a mature student or via an Arts transfer, you graduate with the same Level 8 honours degree, sit in the same MSc lecture theatres and apply to the same graduate programmes. In economics, where there is no professional licensing exam, the route in matters even less than in most fields.
Economics is one of the best-served subjects in English-taught European higher education. The Netherlands alone offers several world-ranked economics bachelors taught entirely in English, with no CAO points race: admission is based on meeting entry requirements and, on selective programmes, a separate selection process.
Economics is not a licensed profession, so there is no Irish registration hurdle: EU economics degrees are generally well recognised by Irish and international employers and for masters entry. Do verify three things, though. First, that the specific degree is a recognised university-level qualification (check with the awarding university and, if needed, NARIC Ireland via QQI). Second, application deadlines: Dutch applications run through Studielink and selective (numerus fixus) programmes typically close around mid-January, months before CAO offers. Third, maths requirements: most quantitative economics programmes require Higher Level Leaving Cert Mathematics or equivalent.
Dutch statutory tuition for EU students is roughly €2,600 per year (verify the current rate with each university), often less than the Irish student contribution. Private institutions such as Bocconi charge substantially higher fees.
These programmes are delivered entirely in English to international cohorts. You do not need Dutch or Italian to study, though learning some of the local language transforms the experience.
Classmates from dozens of countries and curricula built around global markets and policy. A genuinely international CV is a real asset in economics, where the biggest employers are multinational.
Groningen and Maastricht in the Netherlands, KU Leuven in Belgium, and universities across Germany, the Nordics and Central Europe also run English-taught economics bachelors, often at low or zero EU tuition. Use resources like eunicas.ie and each university's own admissions pages, and always confirm the language of instruction, deadlines and maths requirements for the exact programme year you are applying to.
There is no licensing exam in economics and no regulator to register with. Instead, your degree opens into a set of specialisation paths, and the modules, coding skills and experience you choose along the way decide which doors open widest.
Investment banking, asset management, retail and commercial banking, and Ireland's large funds industry. Choose finance, monetary economics and derivatives modules; DN670, TU905 and BESS finance exits feed straight into this world.
The fastest-growing path. Economists who can code in R, Python or Stata work as data scientists, quantitative analysts and forecasting specialists in tech, finance and research. Load up on econometrics, statistics and maths modules.
IGEES recruits graduate economists into government departments, and the Central Bank, ESRI, Oireachtas and EU institutions all employ economists to shape policy on housing, tax, climate and health. A masters is increasingly the standard entry ticket.
Why people actually behave the way they do. Behavioural economists work in regulators, banks, insurers and consultancies designing products, nudges and communications. Pairs beautifully with psychology in a joint degree.
Trade, development and global institutions: the EU, IMF, World Bank, OECD and NGOs. Maynooth's MH416 is built for this path, and languages plus a year abroad add real weight to applications.
Carbon pricing, healthcare funding, energy markets: some of the biggest policy questions of the next 30 years are economics questions. Specialist masters and research roles at the ESRI and universities lead this field in Ireland.
None of these is a legal requirement to work as an economist, but each strengthens a CV in its lane: the CFA charter for investment and asset management; the FRM for risk roles; actuarial exams for the mathematically strongest graduates; and demonstrable R, Python, Stata and SQL skills for analytics and research roles. A one-year MSc in Economics or Economic Policy is the most common next step of all, and Maynooth's integrated MSc lets you bank it inside a four-year run.
Typical starting salaries across graduate programmes in banking, consulting, analytics and the civil service. Investment banking and quantitative roles sit at or above the top of this range.
Economists and senior analysts with roughly 5 to 10 years of experience in financial services, consulting, regulators and research bodies.
Chief economists, heads of research, senior quantitative finance roles and consulting partners. Quantitative finance and senior banking roles can go well beyond this.
Banks, funds, insurers, the big four accountancy firms and consultancies. Ireland's financial services sector is one of the largest per capita in Europe and hires economics graduates every year.
The Central Bank, IGEES, ESRI, CSO, NTMA, regulators and EU institutions. These roles shape national policy and typically expect a masters for economist-grade entry.
Tech firms hire economists for pricing, marketplaces and analytics, and the degree's blend of numeracy and clear writing travels well into journalism, teaching, law conversion and entrepreneurship.
Salary figures are indicative ranges based on published Irish graduate and recruitment salary guides and vary by employer, sector, location and experience.
From first researching courses to your first role as an economics graduate, here is the road ahead.
Visit open days, compare the named BSc routes against BESS-style and Arts routes, and look hard at each course's maths content. If you enjoy Higher Level Maths, the quantitative degrees (DN670, MH415, TU905) will suit you; if not, the broader social science routes may fit better. Leaving Cert Economics is helpful but not required anywhere.
CAO applications open in early November. If you are also considering the Netherlands or Bocconi, note that their selective programmes have their own applications with deadlines around January, well before any CAO offer arrives.
Apply by 20 January for the discounted CAO application fee. An economics student should appreciate the incentive.
Main CAO closing date, and the deadline for mature applicants and most supplementary schemes (HEAR and DARE applicants must also complete their sections by the scheme deadlines). Late applications reopen in March at a higher fee, but restricted arrangements apply.
Reorder your choices free of charge until 1 July. This is where many students refine the balance between high-points dream courses and realistic banker choices. Put courses in genuine order of preference: the points will look after themselves.
Leaving Cert results arrive, followed by CAO Round 1 offers. If you miss a course by a handful of points, remember the transfer and postgraduate routes above; in economics they genuinely converge.
Build the four assets employers screen for: econometrics and statistics modules, a coding language (R or Python), at least one internship or placement, and writing you are proud of. Summer internships in banks, consultancies and the Central Bank are typically applied for in the autumn of your penultimate year.
Choose between graduate programme applications (which open as early as September of final year), a one-year MSc in economics, economic policy or data analytics, or an IGEES or Central Bank graduate application. Many students do a masters and a graduate scheme in sequence.
Whether your first business card says analyst, economist, consultant or trainee, you enter one of Ireland's most flexible graduate labour markets, with the option to pivot between finance, policy, data and academia for decades to come.
A named BSc (DN710, MH415, CK212, TU905) commits you to economics from day one. Broad-entry routes (BESS, PPES, DN700, Arts) let you sample subjects and decide after first year. If you have never studied economics, the broad routes are a lower-risk way to test whether you actually enjoy it before specialising.
Programmes differ enormously in quantitative depth. DN670 and MH415 are built around calculus, statistics and econometrics; BA routes carry lighter maths loads. Check each course's minimum maths grade (several require O1/H5 or better) and read the Year 2 module lists, which reveal the real mathematical temperature of a degree.
CK212 builds in a placement or year abroad, UL wraps Erasmus and Co-Op into Year 3, DCU offers INTRA, and Galway's 4-year BA includes placement or study abroad. In a field with no licensing exam, that experience line on your CV is often the deciding factor at graduate interview stage.
The 300-to-450 point routes (Arts at four universities, GY132, MH416, TU905) teach the same economics as the 550+ courses. Maynooth even publishes a formal transfer route from Arts into its BSc Economics. Choose the course you can realistically reach, then let your college results, not your Leaving Cert, set your ceiling.
There is no single best place to study economics in Ireland. Every economics department in this guide teaches the same core of micro, macro and econometrics, and every one of them has sent graduates to the Central Bank, the big banks and the best masters programmes in Europe. What separates economics graduates five years out is not where they started but what they built along the way: the quantitative modules they chose, the coding they learned, the internships they chased and the clarity of their writing. Pick the course you can get to, then make it count.