660 Ukrainians to sit their Leaving Cert equivalent in Dublin

This year's Leaving Cert runs from June 7 to June 27, with the Junior Cert also running concurrently from June 7 to June 19. File photo

Almost 660 Ukrainian students are due to sit their equivalent of the Leaving Cert exams in Dublin next month, the Department of Further and Higher Education has confirmed.

Ireland is one of 28 countries to host the National Multi-Subject Test (NMT) for displaced Ukrainian students. Currently, 658 students are registered to sit the exam.

This is the second year Ireland has hosted the NMT since the war began in Ukraine. Last year, approximately 350 students sat the exams, which were hosted last July by Dublin City University and Trinity College.

The Department of Further and Higher Education does not yet have the figures for the number of Ukrainian students who have applied to study in higher education institutions here for the upcoming term. Applications for the upcoming academic year are currently being processed through the Central Applications Office (CAO).

The Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris previously confirmed that Ukrainian students applying to the Irish higher education system will be subject to the same conditions as Irish students for the purposes of fees. 

This means Ukrainian students with Temporary Protection will be liable to pay EU fees for college, and will not be subjected to international fees which can range between €9,850 to €55,000. Students, as well as displaced academic staff, can access financial support through the Erasmus+ programme.

Earlier this year, Education Minister Norma Foley confirmed that from September, Leaving Cert students will be able to study Ukrainian as a non-curricular subject aimed towards native speakers of the language. The first State exam in the subject will be sat by students in 2025. 

The subject will be offered as an exam at higher level only, and joins other non-curricular languages including Finnish, Croatian, and Dutch. 

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At the end of April, almost 15,500 Ukrainian students had enrolled in schools across Ireland. This included 5,471 pupils enrolled in post-primary schools. 

The State exams kick off for thousands of students around the country next week. This year's Leaving Cert runs from June 7 to June 27, with the Junior Cert also running concurrently from June 7 to June 19.