Ireland

High School Abroad in Ireland

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Information for term High School Abroad in Ireland

Application deadline, and cost information.

Application Deadline

The application deadline has passed.

Program Deadlines and Pricing Info

  • Dates: Aug 23, 2022 – Feb 12, 2023 (25 weeks)
$19,750

Application Deadline

The application deadline has passed.

Program Deadlines and Pricing Info

  • Dates: Aug 30, 2023 – Feb 10, 2024 (23 weeks)
$20,250

Application Deadline

The application deadline has passed.

Program Deadlines and Pricing Info

  • Dates: Jan 5 – May 28, 2023 (20 weeks)
$19,750

Application Deadline

July 15, 2023
weeks
days
hours

Program Deadlines and Pricing Info

  • Deadline: July 15, 2023
  • Dates: Jan 3 – May 25, 2024 (20 weeks)
$20,250

Application Deadline

The application deadline has passed.

Program Deadlines and Pricing Info

  • Dates: Aug 23 – Dec 22, 2022 (17 weeks)
$15,750

Application Deadline

The application deadline has passed.

Program Deadlines and Pricing Info

  • Dates: Aug 30 – Dec 16, 2023 (15 weeks)
$16,250

Application Deadline

The application deadline has passed.

Program Deadlines and Pricing Info

  • Dates: Jan 5 – Apr 2, 2023 (12 weeks)
$15,750

Application Deadline

July 15, 2023
weeks
days
hours

Program Deadlines and Pricing Info

  • Deadline: July 15, 2023
  • Dates: Jan 3 – Apr 6, 2024 (13 weeks)
$16,250

Application Deadline

The application deadline has passed.

Program Deadlines and Pricing Info

  • Dates: Aug 23, 2022 – May 28, 2023 (40 weeks)
$27,000

Application Deadline

The application deadline has passed.

Program Deadlines and Pricing Info

  • Dates: Aug 30, 2023 – May 25, 2024 (38 weeks)
$27,500

Overview

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Live with an Irish family, study at a local school, and revel in a unique cultural wonderland.

Get ready for an authentic Irish educational experience, complete with a traditional school uniform. At a local high school (single gender or coed), you’ll study alongside Irish peers and choose from a wide variety of courses, all taught in English. Get placed in your own level, or request to attend 10th grade, the traditional "transition year" in Ireland and a unique hands-on learning experience where cultural and enrichment activities take a central role: learn how to ride a horse or balance a budget, get intro courses on new and different topics such as business or entrepreneurship...etc.

At your homestay, live like a local! Most of our placements are within 90 minutes of Dublin airport in suburban or rural areas, giving you easy access to the outdoors, and providing you with amazing insights into the authentic Irish lifestyle. If you're set on spending your semester in Dublin, it is possible but may require an additional fee.

What will you do on weekends? Catch the latest movie on a rainy day in Dublin. Surf at Lahinch Beach, a rugged beach near the Cliffs of Moher. Visit the Ring of Kerry, a peninsula in southern Ireland. These are just a few of the things students do with their host families, CIEE friends, and other international students.

The Take-Aways

  • Independence & Resilience

    Come home better prepared to make transitions, take control of new situations, and appreciate challenging experiences for what they are: opportunities to learn and grow.

  • College Readiness

    Studying abroad gives you the kinds of life skills that can’t be learned in a classroom — and shows college admissions reps that you’re already one step ahead in terms of initiative, maturity, and independence.

  • Global Citizenship

    After immersing yourself in unfamiliar practices and customs, you’ll become better equipped to interact with people from other cultures — in school, on the job, or in your personal life.

  • said their experience made them more aware of global issues.

    93%
  • said their experience with CIEE helped shape their college applications.

    79%
  • said they regularly use the knowledge and skills they acquired while abroad with CIEE.

    96%

Location & Culture

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Rolling hills, bustling cities, and historic sites make the Emerald Isle an unforgettable learning environment.

Discover the majesty and rich culture of the Emerald Isle.

With CIEE, you’ll have the unique opportunity to experience Ireland as its own people do. Give Gaelic football a try with your classmates after school, or meet up with friends at the local pub on a Saturday afternoon for traditional Irish stew and soda bread. Join your homestay for a scenic drive, or hike through the countryside on a crisp fall afternoon.

From sleepy Louisburgh, nestled at the foot of Croagh Patrick, to charming Ballylickey in the heart of magnificent Bantry Bay, Ireland offers an idyllic setting for a high school study abroad program. Through classes at a local high school, extracurricular activities, and living with a homestay, you’ll immerse yourself completely in Irish culture and discover what it’s like to step outside of your comfort zone and make the world your classroom.

CIEE wants all our students to feel welcomed, supported, and empowered to succeed while studying abroad. Local CIEE staff have provided details about conditions and cultural attitudes that students with specific identities might encounter in Ireland.

Orientation

Upon arrival in Ireland, you’ll be picked up at the airport by CIEE staff and begin your two-day orientation in Dublin. During orientation, you will participate in different workshops focusing on a variety of themes — culture, language, academics, social norms, current events — all designed to best prepare you for your experience in Ireland. Additionally, you’ll see some of the best that Dublin has to offer!

After orientation, you will depart for your host community and spend a couple of days with your homestay before starting school.

Daily Life

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Daily Life

"After dinner we always sit around, have tea and toast, and talk together about the day...The days fly by here!"

Learn more about daily life on a high school study abroad program by reading our blog posts above.

Explore Program Blogs

  • Housing

    Carefully screened homestay in Ireland

  • Local Support

    Local Coordinator in country and CIEE support staff available 24/7

Program Blogs

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Program Blogs

Activities

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Sample Activities

The land of Shaw, Swift, Joyce, Lewis, and Yeats beckons. Ireland’s rolling green hills are dotted with cozy tearooms and medieval castles. Yet cities are equally known for their tech and pop music scenes. Irish history comes alive during excursions to museums, cathedrals, galleries, and historic sites in and around Dublin. Farther afield, you might travel to Achill Island, Connemara, and Galway in the West of Ireland, or journey to Northern Ireland to tour Belfast. You’ll have a whole year or semester to discover the country — on your own, with new CIEE friends, or maybe even your homestay!

Tuition for this program includes the cost of one day trip and one overnight trip per semester. Trips will take place earlier in the semester to allow trimester students the opportunity to participate. These trips vary every semester and may also be adjusted to mitigate COVID-19 risks, but some examples of past excursions have included:

3 Day Overnight Trip Examples

Wild Atlantic Way Trip
Travel with your peers to Ireland’s stunning Wild Atlantic Way in the counties of Galway and Mayo. Enjoy two nights in the market town of Westport. You’ll have the chance to develop orienteering, climbing and teamwork skills in Connemara, experience kayaking in Clew Bay and visit Croagh Patrick where you will try your hands in preparing traditional Irish meals on a local farm.

Kilkenny Historical Visit
Have fun strengthening bonds with your program peers while taking in the many exciting sites in the medieval city of Kilkenny. Work together to follow the Nore Valley Treasure Trail, explore the famous castle and surrounding park and sample modern Irish cuisine where you’ll surely be surprised with the range of food options available. You’ll also take a hike above the 5th century monastery of Glendalough which is situated in a glacial valley consisting of two lakes.

1 Day Trip Examples

Lough Erne
Take part in archery, zip lining and more at this scenic lake in County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland.

Carlingford
Home to Ireland’s largest aerial adventure course called Sky Park, enjoy a day of fun and adventure with views for miles!

Boyne Valley
Explore Ireland’s 5,000-year-old past and modern mysticism in the Boyne Valley.

What People are Saying

  • Being in Ireland made me appreciate home, and being back home has made me appreciate my time abroad even more. When I think back on my time abroad, every image in my mind is as clear as if I were still there. I brought a bit of Ireland back with me. My school jumper is hanging up in my closet (and I can’t wait for winter to come, so I can wear it again!), cards and little notes from my friends are scattered around my room, and pictures hang everywhere, always making my day a bit brighter.

    Lauren B., CIEE High School Abroad Alumna
  • Ireland is my home now — will always be. When you leave, a part of you gets left behind, like a remembrance. I love Ireland, I love the people, I love the culture, and I love who I have become because of my experience. I have met so many life-changing people who will never leave my memory. This journey was about finding who you are and what kind of person you are.

    Catherine S., CIEE High School Abroad Alumna
  • My entire definition of ‘home’ had changed. ‘Home is where the heart is’— and at that time, my heart was in Ireland.

    Lauren B., CIEE High School Abroad Alumna
  • I learned things that aren’t taught in schools: what is really important to me, what I want out of life, and how to be more open-minded and confident.

    Sophie R., CIEE High School Abroad Alumna
  • Everyone is shocked to hear that I studied abroad when I was 15 years old. I’m shocked myself — yet, quite frankly, I’m shocked that it isn’t more common to study abroad in high school. CIEE gave me an opportunity that most people have never heard of. The program transformed me into the person I am today, with impeccable people skills and the ability to adapt to any environment. I owe a huge thanks to the CIEE program. I am proud to be a CIEE alumnus!

    Alex A., CIEE High School Abroad Alumnus

Dates & Fees

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Dates & Fees

Eligibility

At the time of departure, students must:

  • Be at least 15 years old by the start of the program and they cannot have their 18th birthday while on program
  • Have a minimum GPA of 2.5
  • Demonstrate, through the application process, their flexibility, maturity, adaptability, and readiness to face the challenges of living in a new culture

Application Fee

$50

Priority deadline discount: Apply to a fall semester or academic year by February 15 and get a $400 discount. Apply to a spring semester by July 15 and get a $400 discount. Discounts are deducted from final balance.

Program fee includes international airfare and iNext travel insurance. Full inclusions are found online.

Program

Application Due

Start Date

End Date

Costs

Academic Year 2022 40 weeks Deadline Passed Aug 23, 2022 May 28, 2023

$27,000

Fall Trimester 2022 17 weeks Deadline Passed Aug 23, 2022 Dec 22, 2022

$15,750

Fall 2022 25 weeks Deadline Passed Aug 23, 2022 Feb 12, 2023

$19,750

Academic Year 2023 38 weeks Deadline Passed Aug 30, 2023 May 25, 2024

$27,500

Spring Trimester 2023 12 weeks Deadline Passed Jan 5, 2023 Apr 2, 2023

$15,750

Spring 2023 20 weeks Deadline Passed Jan 5, 2023 May 28, 2023

$19,750

Fall Trimester 2023 15 weeks Deadline Passed Aug 30, 2023 Dec 16, 2023

$16,250

Fall 2023 23 weeks Deadline Passed Aug 30, 2023 Feb 10, 2024

$20,250

Spring Trimester 2024 13 weeks Jul 15, 2023 Jan 3, 2024 Apr 6, 2024

$16,250

Spring 2024 20 weeks Jul 15, 2023 Jan 3, 2024 May 25, 2024

$20,250

Ready to change your life?