With students around the country having now received their long-awaited Leaving Certificate results and CAO Round 1 offers, students are now preparing to take their first steps on their third-level journey. Here at Mary Immaculate College (MIC), we’re preparing our campus for the arrival of a new cohort of students, as well as our returning students, and we’re looking forward to welcoming almost 1,000 new students to our Limerick and Thurles campuses in the coming weeks.
While this year will be a somewhat different experience due to COVID-19, we want to ensure that our first years are provided with the best start on their third level journey.
Here’s all you need to know to make your transition to third level as smooth as possible
So now that you’ve received your Leaving Certificate results, what happens next? Check out our video below and find out all about CAO offers – how to accept/defer, what happens after you accept your offer, and some key dates to keep in mind over the coming days and weeks.
For more information, go to our Admissions Office.
Once you’ve accepted your offer of a place at MIC, the next step in your third-level journey will be to enrol for your programme. You’ll receive an email from our Student Academic Administration team with all the details on how to enrol online. Please keep in mind that you’ll receive this email to the email address you used when you applied to the CAO.
After you have accepted your offer, an online helpdesk run by our Admissions Office will be open for any queries in relation to your enrolment at the College. The helpdesk will be open Monday-Friday from 10am to 4.30pm. Please email enrolment@mic.ul.ie with your questions and the Admissions team will respond to your query as soon as possible.
The Student Academic Administration Office is one of the key offices for students throughout your time in third-level. They will assist you to access important information and guide you through important processes throughout the academic year such as module registration, Garda vetting, and examinations, to name but a few.
Student Academic Administration will also operate an online helpdesk for new students where you can ask questions about how to register for your modules, how to get your Student ID Card, if you need a ‘confirmation of registration letter’ or have a Social Welfare form you need stamped by the College. You can contact the team on SAA@mic.ul.ie and a member of the team will respond to your query as soon as possible. The helpdesk will be open Monday-Friday from 10am to 4.30pm.
For students at MIC Thurles, Paula Hourigan, Senior Academic Administrator, performs many of the functions listed above. You can contact Paula on Paula.Hourigan@mic.ul.ie.
Garda Vetting
All students (apart from the MI002 Bachelor of Arts students) must be Garda vetted. You will find details on your Garda vetting application here.
Student ID Card
Another important step in your enrolment process is your Student ID Card. Once you’re a registered student at MIC, you will be able to upload your photo for your Student ID Card. Full information on how to get your Student ID Card will be sent to you via email.
Fees
In our video below, you will find the answers to some of the most common queries about when and how to pay your fees for the upcoming academic year. If you have other queries about fees, please email the Fees Office team on studentfees@mic.ul.ie and a member of the team will get back to you as soon as possible.
For more information on how to pay your fees, go to Fees, Charges & Grants.
Orientation for New Students
Orientation for new students will take place on the week of 21 September (aka Week 0).
Orientation at MIC Limerick will largely take place online but there will hopefully also be the opportunity for students to come on campus for short visits during the week of 21 September. To ensure physical distancing, ‘Welcome to Campus’ visits will be limited to 45 students per visit with students being allocated to a smaller group on arrival to campus. You will be given the opportunity to tour the campus with our student guides, as well attend a ‘Welcome’ talk with either the Dean of Education, Dean of Liberal Arts or your Programme Coordinator. You will receive details about your on-campus visit via email.
Orientation at MIC Thurles will take place on-campus during the week of 21 September with a full schedule of talks with lecturers and support staff, as well as tours of the campus with our student guides.
We would encourage all of our new student to take part in Orientation as this is your opportunity to find out all you need to know before you begin your studies. As well as getting a free MIC hoody, you will receive information on how to set up your student email account, how to register for modules, how to access the library, how to avail of student supports, as well as lots of useful information from our lecturers on what to expect on your programme of study during your first semester. Whether you get to meet your lecturers virtually or in person, they’ll tell you all you need to know to prepare you for the coming weeks and months.
Another important part of Orientation this year will be our COVID-19 Induction Training. All incoming and current students will be required to undertake this training. The safety of our students and staff is of the utmost importance and we have put in place many measures to ensure the health of all those who enter our campuses in Limerick and Thurles.
To find out more, go to our Orientation Hub where you will find the schedule of talks for each programme.
Be sure to follow MIC on social media to stay up to date with all that’s happening for Orientation and throughout the semester. You will find us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter (Limerick and Thurles).
What to expect when the new semester begins
Due to COVID-19 guidelines on physical distancing and to ensure the safety of our students, staff and the wider communities in Limerick and Thurles, it is not possible to have all students on-campus at the same time. For this reason, we will operate rotational timetables and a blended model of teaching and learning. This means you will have a combination of online and on-campus lectures and tutorials.
For first year students at MIC Limerick, you will be on-campus for a specific number of weeks during the course of the semester. Each programme is different so what week you are on-campus will be determined by what programme you are studying on.
For first year students at MIC Thurles, you will be on-campus every second week during the semester.
You can find more information on what week you are on-campus and what week you are off-campus here. Detailed timetables will be published on 21 September and will be available here.
The online learning week will resemble a regular teaching week as much as possible, but with all content delivered online. This will enable students to engage in synchronous and asynchronous learning activities. Synchronous teaching means that lecturers and students will be online together participating in a time-tabled live lecture/tutorial. Asynchronous allows you, the student, to connect and attend the pre-recorded lectures in your own time within a specified timeframe.
Find out more about our Academic Delivery for 2020-2021 here.
Accommodation
MIC’s Courtbrack Accommodation in Limerick will be open from September 2020 but is only available for rental on a weekly rotational basis for students in Years 2, 3 and 4.
However, on-campus accommodation at MIC Thurles will be offered to 70 first year students. This will operate on a weekly rotational basis and will be available to students every second week during each semester for the 2020/21 academic year.
For more information on accommodation, please contact MIC’s Accommodation Office by email on Manager.Summerville@mic.ul.ie or by phone on 061-302500 (Monday-Friday from 9.30am to 5.30pm).
For further information on accommodation, including private accommodation in Limerick and Thurles, go to Accommodation.
MISU, the Students' Union at MIC, also have a list of available student accommodation, including short stay hotel options. Check out the MISU accommodation group on Facebook where you can chat with other students about accommodation options.
Mary Immaculate Students' Union (MISU)
Mary Immaculate Students' Union (MISU) is the representative body for the students of MIC. The union provides support, advice and representation for its members, the students of MIC. Students automatically become members of MISU upon enrolment and MISU is accountable to the students whom it represents.
The President of MISU for 2020-2021 is Aisling Cusask and the Vice-President is Laura Charleton. If you’re having any issues, be it with your accommodation, your assignments, your finances, your mental health, or anything else, MISU are here to help you.
You can find more information on MISU and all they do here.
CAO Points 2020
BA in Contemporary & Applied Theatre Studies 375
Bachelor of Arts 300
B Ed (Primary Teaching) 495
B Ed (Primary Teaching - Gaeltacht Applicants) 456
B Ed International 577
BA in Early Childhood Care & Education 357
B Ed in Education & Psychology 588
BA in Education, Business Studies & Accounting 402
BA in Education, Business Studies & Religious Studies 368
BA in Education, Gaeilge & Religious Studies 409
BA in Education, Gaeilge & Business Studies 401
BA in Education, Mathematics & Gaeilge 444
BA in Education Mathematics & Business Studies 434
