Please Read Carefully Before Continuing

The ISE Entrance Submission has two options for applicant, both of which are worth a maximum of 200 points.

This page contains instructions and information relating to the Entrance Submission for CAO (Leaving Cert.), Mature Student and International Student applicants to the course for September 2025 and should be followed by all applicants.

Please read the instructions and information on this page carefully. If you have any questions or concerns, please email [email protected]

Submission process

Leaving Cert. & Mature Students: Once you have selected LM173 Immersive Software Engineering on the CAO, you will receive a link via email which will grant you access to the submission portal.

International Students: International Students who apply directly to UL for the LM173 BSc will likewise receive an email with a link granting them access to the submission portal. Please note the dates outlined in the Submission Timeline below may differ for International applicants. Please contact UL Admissions for further information.

Further instructions on submission are detailed below.

Entrance Submission timeline

If your CAO application is submitted by the 1 February – applicants will be emailed early/mid-March with details of the Entrance Submission process.

If your CAO application is submitted after the 1 February and up to the 1 May – applicants will be emailed by mid-May with details as above.

If the CAO Change of Mind option is exercised up to 1 July, in which an applicant selects LM173 who had not previously done so in previous CAO rounds – applicants will be emailed by mid-July with details as above.

Entrance Submission Structure

We are interested in many types of students for the ISE programme. Show us your skills and interests related to science, technology, engineering, math and innovation, in a way that connects with you. 

Please follow these 3 steps:

Step 1 - Personal Details

This section is not graded.

In this section of the online submission you are required to provide your first name, surname, email address, CAO number (if applicable) and your mobile phone number.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

  • Please use the email address that you used in your inital application, either through the CAO or (in the case of international applicants) in your corresondence with the University of Limerick.
  • Please include the country code for your mobile phone number using the “00” format (not the “+” format). 

Step 2 - Choose Your Route

There are two application routes for the Entrance Submission, both of which carry equal marks and which are worth a maximum of 200 points. 

Please read the details for each route carefully before choosing ONE route to respond to.

Technology Project Guidance

Word limit: 800 words

To be submitted via the online submission portal as a single Microsoft Word document.

Using technology doesn’t have to mean writing a computer program – it could be any situation in which you’ve used any technology to do something interesting.

We want to know what you did, but we’re also very interested in how you did it. Below are some questions that you can use as inspiration for your writing.

Some of the questions will be more relevant to your project than others – feel free to choose a few that are most relevant to your project and to not answer the rest.

Overview of your Work

What did you do? Please include screenshots, photos, and links to repositories, website URLs, or any other illustration of the project (if relevant).

Note: If you have developed code in your project – please add coding fragments to your overview, with a short explanation of what these specific fragments do. You can link to the full implementation on a shared drive.

Project Impact

Why did you do it? Were you solving a problem, or did you just want to learn something new for fun?

What was the impact of your project? Did anyone use it? How did it help them?

What aspect of your project are you most proud of?

What would you do differently next time?

Some Additional Notes...

It’s OK to choose a project that you worked on in a small team, but please be clear about which parts you worked on personally.

If you have an idea but aren’t sure if it’s appropriate, then it probably is. If you like then you can email us to check. Feel free to email us a brief description of an idea ([email protected]) and we’ll let you know if we think it is appropriate.

You can use Leaving Cert, 3rd level, or other curricular projects in your entrance submission however we strongly recommend that you alter, improve or progress your project in some way and explain this in the narrative of your submission. Remember, the Technology Project is a chance for you to show us your creativity and skill so, if you use a Leaving Cert project for example, it is important to showcase how you have used this creativity and skill to improve upon it.

Provide and explain evidence. Links to screenshots, design artefacts, commented code, git commits, etc. can be included but must be discussed/explained in your writing.

Questions for Applicants

This section is worth 200 points. 

This is the main element of Option B of the Entrance Submission. In this section you will be presented with a list of four questions, each of which has been designed to allow you to showcase important achievements, your own identity and any other elements that you would like evaluators to be aware of besides your test scores, courses and grades. This route would suit students who may or may not have much hands on experience with computer science or software development.

You are required to select 3 of these questions and craft a response of up to 400 words to each of your selected prompts. Please watch the video nearby for full instructions. The questions that will be provided to you for the submission are listed below.

Please submit a maximum of 1 external link per question to provide support for your profile submissions for each question. Please include screenshots, photos, news articles and links to repositories or portfolios, website URLs, or any other artefacts which can support your answer. These links are not essential, but are highly recommended.

 

Question 1:

Do you have a talent or interest that is highly important to you? Tell us about this aspect of your identity and your key accomplishments in this area. 

Question 2:

Tell us about a time you solved a problem. How did you identify and test the solution? What did you learn from the experience? 

Question 3:

Do you have a background in computer science and/or software development? Tell us about your key accomplishments in this area. 

Question 4:

ISE students work on projects that are truly innovative. Pitch, in some detail, a new project you would like to work on as an ISE student. Think big – we like a challenge! 

Step 3 - Final Stage & Submission

This section is not graded

In this section you are asked to sign an honour pledge declaring that the work described in the submission is your own. Any sources used in researching, developing, and evaluating the concept(s) described in the submission are fully acknowledged. Your work can be part of a larger team-based project, but the submission must clearly identify and focus on your contribution. This contribution should be an individual effort. Any part of the submission found not to be the work of the applicant will result in the rejection of the entire submission.

Additional Information

You may be called for an online discussion to clarify aspects of your submission. More information on this when you are emailed a link for the submission.

Note: Mature students AND International applicants must submit the Entrance Submission 

Frequently Asked Questions

The new Entrance Submission format was designed based on feedback from ISE Stakeholders (particularly students and teachers), with the applicants in mind.

 

OPTION A 

Technical Project 

OPTION B

Personal Profile 

Reasoning/comments 

Number of Graded Questions: 

1 (written report) 

Respond to 3 questions out of 4 

To gain a more comprehensive understanding of applicants while giving them more options. 

Maximum Wordcount: 

800 words 

400 words for each response 

To allow applicants more of a choice in the responses they submit and to showcase more aspects of their identities and achievements if they wish to do so. 

Question Type: 

Essay Type 

Shorter Narrative 

To give students more options in their submission. 

Main Focus of Question(s): 

Creative use of Technology 

Personal characteristics and achievements 

To open the course to students who may not have an extensive technical background. 

Evidence required: 

Yes 

Yes 

  

Points Attributed: 

200 

200 

 

Method of Submission: 

Online Submission Portal 

(uploaded as single PDF) 

Online Submission Portal 

(Enter responses online) 

To make the process more streamlined for applicants 

No, all applicants either through the CAO or direct application to UL must submit either Option A or Option B for their Entrance Submission as outlined on this page.

Unfortunately, changes cannot be made once you have sent your Entrance Submission via the online portal. Please email [email protected] if you have any queries or issues.

Please make sure to check your spam/junk email folder. If you still cannot find the email, please email [email protected]

Yes, all applicants must complete an Entrance Submission. In the case of mature students, a motivation letter outlining why you would like a place on ISE should also be submitted. If you are applying as a mature student, please email [email protected] for instructions on submitting your motivation letter.

Yes, all applicants must complete either Option A or Option B as outlined above.

No you can only choose one option. Choose the option that best represents you.

ISE is not a restricted course and can be selected in each of the 3 submission windows (Normal CAO, Late Applications, and Change of Mind), unlike, for example, Medicine, where you must apply by March.

Yes you can use a Leaving Cert project if it meets the criteria but try to make it unique and add something to it if other students have similar projects.

Yes you can use a group project, but you must clearly specify which areas you worked on as you may be called for an interview to discuss further.

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