Admission – Liffey College

Introduction

Liffey College is committed to promoting equal opportunities for all applicants. No applicant will be excluded from entry to any course as a result of discrimination on the grounds of age, race, colour, nationality, ethnic origin, sex or sexual orientation, mental status, disability, religion or belief. The College will operate within the guidelines of the Equality Acts 2000-2018.

This Policy is intended to inform the actions of staff when carrying out the admissions functions of the College ensuring that fairness and consistency are embedded within the admissions process. It is also intended to inform prospective learners, applicants/agents of the details of the admissions process to help them through the process and manage their expectations of the College.

Aims: This Policy aims to ensure that:

All entry criteria are transparent and justifiable;
All applicants to the College are treated fairly, in a transparent and consistent fashion;
All applications are responded to promptly and efficiently;
All applications are dealt with and admissions decisions are made by appropriate staff;
Clear and impartial advice is given to applicants and that they are placed on the most appropriate level;

Liffey College is committed to excellence in admissions and aims to provide a professional, fair, equal and transparent service to all applicants. Liffey College will take every possible step to ensure that no prospective learner or applicant is treated unfavourably.

Our Promise: Liffey College undertakes to:

Conduct regular reviews of all admissions procedures;
Treat all applicants fairly in line with the terms of this Policy;
Provide prospective learners with information about our courses and what learners can expect to experience, through our website and our prospectus materials, and through any promotional events and College exhibitions we may attend;
Regularly review all prospectus and website materials to ensure they are accurate and up to date.

Pre-Application: Liffey College’s details of courses are also available from the website as an immediate download on www.liffeycollege.ie

Pre-application information is available from the website, including:

Course specifications and details including indicative curriculum information;
Accreditation/approval of courses by professional bodies;
Course structures, duration, mode of attendance and qualification title;
The general and subject specific entry requirements for each course;
The range of resources available at the College, including information on the virtual learning environment and other on-line learning resources;
How to apply to the College;
Course fees and payment arrangements.

Liffey College is committed to providing all stakeholders with all material information required to make an informed decision about their choice of programme of study. However, as printed materials may have been published well in advance of any start date, the College reserves the right to make amendments to the published contents, methods of delivery or specific entry requirements of courses if such action is reasonable and considered to be necessary. We endeavour to ensure that all information available on our website is up-to-date and encourage stakeholders to see this as the authoritative source of course information.

The College endeavours to inform applicants at the earliest opportunity of any significant changes to the content or format of a course that are made between application and enrolment. The College aims to provide all the courses that are advertised on the website. However, if it becomes necessary to withdraw a course, or a particular intake of a course, the College will inform applicants to the course at the earliest opportunity and will give applicants the chance to be considered for an alternative course where possible.

Selection of learners

First Come First Served Basis

All admissions to Liffey College are subject to availability on a first-come-first-served basis.
There is no pre-booking system in place. Places in your intended course will be allocated upon full payment. Payment in part does not guarantee a place.

Guidance

Full assistance and guidance are provided to help applicants choose the right course that best matches their aspirations and potential. Prior to admission, learners are interviewed to assess their suitability for their chosen programme of study. It is important that applicants and advisers are aware of Liffey College’s Terms & Conditions that will be legally binding on an applicant once they accept an offer of a place at the College. These can be found https://liffeycollege.ie/policies-procedures/

Entry/Course Requirements

All learners applying for a particular course must comply with the entry requirements as stipulated in the course requirements. All learners must be over 18 years of age at the time of application.

Data Protection

The College ensures that all information provided by applicants during and after the process of admission is kept STRICTLY confidential. Data protection legislation places a responsibility on the College to control the processing of personal data, including sensitive personal data and applicant’s/learner’s personal data. The categories of personal data that we hold, the purposes for which we process them and the identities of those to whom we may disclose them are set out in the College’s Data Protection Policy, which can be found at https://liffeycollege.ie/privacy-cookies/

We will use the applicant’s/learner’s personal data in accordance with our Privacy Policy and we will not enter discussions with anyone about an application other than the applicant, unless the applicant has nominated a named person to act on their behalf.

Documentation

Applications must be submitted along with all relevant required documentation. Any incomplete application will result in delays to the admission process. Applicants must provide proof of ID such as a copy of their passport. Previous course results, curriculum vitae, and references from previous educational institutions may also be required. Financial Statements. A Certificate of Attendance must be provided if an applicant wishes to transfer from another college in Ireland. Certificates of an English Language Qualification, such as TOEFL, IELTS or Cambridge, must be provided by learners whose first language is not English and who are applying for admission to courses other than English languages courses.

Disabled Learners and those with Long Term Health Conditions

Applicati Liffey College premises are a designated listed building, therefore, access is limited by virtue of this listed designation. Learners are advised to discuss any specific requirements in advance of commencing their course or progamme of study.

It is the College’s policy that any potential needs of learners with disabilities are, to the extent possible, identified and addressed within the detailed admissions process and efforts are made to take account of an individual applicant’s situation. This can be organised on the phone or via email with the Admissions Team prior to arrival, and any specific needs can be accommodated during the admissions process.

Applicants are obliged to inform the College in writing of any medical problems, issues or allergies they may suffer from at the time they apply. The College reserves the right not to allow on the course a learner suffering from any illness, medical condition, or mental or physical disability which has not been disclosed.

The College is unable to accept responsibility for any delays in providing learner support and reasonable adjustment if an applicant does not disclose this information at the point of application. In some instances, learners may be advised that they are unable to participate on their course if they have not disclosed this information and if the College is at the point at which consideration for adjustment is not practicable.

Applications from learners disclosing a disability or long-term health condition are judged on the basis of the standard entry criteria for the applicant’s chosen course and decisions are made purely on these criteria.

The reasons for enquiring about disability access needs are:

To ensure that the applicant can access further specialist advice and information, if necessary, from the College.
To allow early discussion of any access arrangements the applicant might require;

Declaration of Prior Convictions

Liffey College has the right to reject the application of any applicant who may pose a danger or a threat to the college. All applicants will be required to declare any prior criminal offences. In such cases, a full risk assessment of the learner will be carried out by the college prior to giving any approval.

Admission Procedures

An application form must be submitted online: https://apply.liffeycollege.ie/

All necessary documentation should be attached to the application. The application is then assessed by the college staff.
Once the application has been approved, the Offer Letter/Invoice is issued to the learner as guarantee for eligibility of admission.

Fees lodged into Liffey College’s bank account through international banks worldwide. Please note that the learner reference/application ID number (on the Letter of Offer) should be listed in the Bank Transfer description field when doing the money transfer. You can find information about course fee payments at https://liffeycollege.ie/payment-of-fees/

Upon receipt of the full course fees, a receipt with Letter of Acceptance is forwarded via email to the learner.

International learners from non-visa-required countries may then book their flights to Dublin.

After receiving the Letter of Acceptance, international learners requiring Irish visas must apply for a study visa at the Irish Embassy/Consulate in their country of origin or closest neighboring country where there is no Irish Embassy/Consulate in their own country.
You can find more information about study visas on the Irish government’s website. Please visit the following link: https://www.irishimmigration.ie/coming-to-study-in-ireland/what-are-my-study-visa-options/how-to-apply-for-long-term-study-visa/

If you are a Non-EU, non-visa country national and are present in Ireland on a Visitor/Tourist visa (max 90 days), please be aware that you need to leave Ireland and come back through Dublin Airport with the Liffey College Letter of Acceptance to be able to obtain a study entry visa, which the Department of Justice has the right to approve or refuse.

It is the responsibility of each individual to make themselves aware of State laws and all college rules, regulations, policies and procedures before making an application.

Please note that you can view the College Fee and Fee Refund Policy by clicking on this link: https://liffeycollege.ie/course-fee-fee-refund/

Deferral Requests

Applicants holding offers may request to defer their place for a maximum of one calendar year only.

Unsuccessful Applications

The College reserves the right to refuse admission to applicants who have not met academic or non-academic entry requirements; where there is evidence that they are unable to meet the academic, professional or vocational requirements of the course or where the course is full.

When advising an applicant that their application to a course of study has been unsuccessful where possible they will be advised of alternative courses within the College for which there are vacancies or to offer guidance if feedback is requested by the applicant.

Communication of Feedback

Requests for feedback should be made in writing by the applicant or someone that the applicant designates in writing to act on their behalf. Requests should be sent to the Admissions Team dealing with the application in the first instance.

The College endeavours to respond to all requests for feedback within 21 working days. Any subsequent correspondence related to a request for feedback must be referred to the Admissions Team dealing with the application.

Re-application

Learners who were previously expelled from the College are not permitted to re-apply or re-enrol, however, there may be cases where applicants wish to re-apply to the College. The communication of a decision by the College will give clear guidance to the applicant in cases of re-application, as follows:

Applicants who have been rejected and wish to reapply may do so, but they should be given guidance to the effect that even if they respond to the feedback given, they will not necessarily be successful in the subsequent re-application. This is because they will be assessed in the context of a new field of applicants.

Applicants who decline an offer and who are not given a deferred place must reapply. Applicants who have been previously offered a place (which has been declined) are not guaranteed an automatic subsequent offer of a place;

Extenuating Circumstances

Liffey College recognises that some applicants may have faced individual circumstances that have impacted on their ability to complete courses to the standard normally required by the College andor any awarding body. These extenuating circumstances may include (but shall not be limited to) the absence of a tutor for a significant period of time, medical issues or serious personal/family issues that have had a serious and demonstrable impact on the studies. The College will assess all applications on an individual basis.

Applicant Complaints and Appeals Procedures

Appeals (defined as a formal request to review the selection decision)

Applicants do not have a right of appeal against the academic judgment of the College regarding the decisions made about admission to a Liffey College course. However, if following receipt of feedback, an applicant feels that an error has occurred, they have the right to request a formal review of the selection decision on one of the following grounds:

1. Pertinent information was missing from the original application;

2. There has been a misinterpretation of information or data contained within the original application; and/or

3. There was a procedural anomaly in the handling of the application.

This review can only be requested after an applicant has received feedback on the reason for their original rejection. The request for a review must then be placed (in writing) within 21 calendar days of the feedback being sent to the applicant, stating clearly on what grounds the request for a review is being made. This request should be sent by email to haseeb@liffeyCollege.ie who will forward it to the Academic Team for review.

The request for a review must be made by the applicant, and not a third party. The College will not respond to requests from anyone other than the applicant.

Once received, the Academic Team will review the record of the and will respond in writing within 14 working days of receipt of the Appeal. If the original decision is upheld, this correspondence will include the reason for the decision.

If the applicant remains dissatisfied with the outcome of the appeal from the Academic Team, the appeal can be passed to the Centre Director for a final review. This escalation of the Appeal must be submitted in writing within 28 calendar days of receiving the response from the Academic Team. The appeal should be sent to the Centre Director at haseeb@liffeycollege.ie

The Centre Director will review the case on the following grounds:

1. Whether there were procedural irregularities in the investigation of the complaint; or

2. Whether fresh evidence can be presented which was not or could not reasonably have been made available to the Academic Team; or

3. Whether the finding of the previous investigation was against the weight of the evidence.

The Centre Director will notify the applicant of the outcome of the complaint in writing within 14 working days of receipt of the complaint. This decision is final.

Complaints (defined as a concern about an aspect of the admissions process, which is not necessarily connected to the selection decision)

Complaints are different to appeals as they do not necessarily have to be in connection with a decision to turn down an applicant. A complaint is a concern about a particular procedure, an irregularity in the administration of an application, or a belief that a policy has not been correctly implemented. Complaints may cover any aspect of the admissions process and will normally focus on a specific issue or situation (which could include the feedback request). A complaint does not necessarily question the decision of the College but raises a concern about how the selection process operated.

The complaint must come from the applicant. The complaint must be submitted within three months of the conclusion of the admissions process against which the complaint is being made. Complaints must be submitted online. Here is the link: https://apply.liffeycollege.ie/form-builder/form/1-G9H886B1LHK647H1129D

The College will seek to resolve the complaint or explain the situation and will respond in writing to the applicant within 14 working days of receipt of the complaint.

If the applicant remains dissatisfied with the outcome of the complaint, the complaint can be passed to the Centre Director for a final review. This escalation of the complaint must be submitted in writing within twenty-eight calendar days of receiving the initial response from the College. This should be sent to the Centre Director by email to haseeb@liffeycollege.ie