Candidates for this degree are required to be admitted by the School of Medicine on the recommendation of the Professor. Candidates who have not graduated in this University may be admitted if suitably qualified. No candidate can be allowed to enter on a course of study and research for the Degree of PhD unless he/she has reached a high honours standard at the examination for the primary degree or presented such other evidence as will satisfy the Professor and the School of his/her fitness.

The normal requirement is a second class honours degree, grade one (2:1). To be eligible to enter one of UCD's PhD programmes, a candidate must have reached a high honours standard in their primary degree. In a significant number of cases, a master's degree may also be required.

IELTS - An average score of 6.5 over all components and a minimum of 6.0 in each band on the Academic Version. TOEFL - A minimum score of 600 in the paper-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL PBT), with Test of Written English at 475 +. A minimum score of 90 is required in the Internet based TOEFL (iBT) with no less than 21 in writing and at least 19 in every other section.