It's easy to spend a summer, a term, or even a year studying in Ireland or Northern Ireland. Each of the major cities in Ireland is home to several universities, and smaller gaeltacht communities support many Irish language and cultural programs. To choose a program that best fits your needs, you will want to research all you can before making your decision, determining costs and duration, as well as what kind of students participate in the program and what sort of accommodations are provided. To fully immerse yourself in the culture, try to arrange housing with an Irish family through the university.

EU students will find it easier to gain acceptance to an Irish university than most other students. The standards for admission are much lower for those who have attended an EU secondary school, and while other students will have to pay between €15,000-30,000 a year, educational programs are free of charge for EU students. American students seeking to enroll in an Irish university will find it cheaper to enroll directly to the university from abroad, though gaining admission and college credit may prove more difficult. For all students, spots in Irish schools are scarce, especially in history and English departments.

A good resource for finding programs that cater to your particular interests is www.studyabroad.com, which has links to various semester abroad programs based on a variety of criteria, including desired location and focus of study. Also try www.goabroad.com. The following is a list of other organizations that can help place students in university programs in Ireland.